Torchwood University
by WhateverMary13
Summary: The basic Torchwood characters go to University story. Jack/Ianto.
1. Prologue

**Torchwood University: Prologue.**

**Rating:** M for later chapters

**Summary:** The Torchwood team in University. Loosely follows the plot lines of the seasons, but with a few twists. The characters generally respond how University students would. Not their usual "well-adjusted" selves.

**A/N: **So this is what I've been working on instead of my other stories if you've been reading those. Hopefully I'll get back to them soon...

* * *

Ianto Jones looked up hopefully at the sound of an approaching vehicle, but ended up groaning in dismay when he spotted his older sister Rhiannon climbing out of a battered tan sedan instead of the conspicuous black SUV he was waiting for. As she turned back to give a quick kiss to the car's occupant, Ianto futilely attempted to hide behind the luggage that surrounded him, but the curb he was sitting on offered little protection. She headed straight for him calling cheerily, "Is Jack not here yet?"

Ianto fixed her with a withering glare, "Obviously not."

She lowered herself to the curb next to him and after a long pause she said carefully, "You've been seen."

"What?" Ianto's head shot around to her in surprise.

Rhiannon shrugged and said, "Susan on the corner it was her anniversary so they went to that posh French place in town by the memorial and there was you. There was you…having dinner with a man… in a restaurant."

"So?"

"She said he was gorgeous… like a film star…like an escort."

"It was just Jack," Ianto rolled his eyes.

"Susan said it was intimate. I said well he's had girlfriends, and she said, well no girl was getting her feet around that table. No chance!"

"You know how Jack is Rhiannon.'

"He's nice though. Isn't he? You could do worse, I mean if you have gone bender."

Ianto scoffed and looked down at the pitted gravel of the road. After a while he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to talk to you Ianto," She sighed exasperatedly. "You never tell me anything these days. Dad died and that was it. You were off to University without a word – you couldn't wait, like I did something wrong. I didn't. Did I?"

"It's not that," Ianto looked off at the trees across the road with a frown and finally told her quietly, "There hasn't been anyone since Lisa."

Rhiannon wrapped her arm around him, "It's been two years since the accident."

A black SUV pulled up the curb and Ianto immediately bolted to his feet and out of Rhiannon's loose embrace. Jack swung out of the driver's side, wearing a RAF greatcoat that swished dramatically around his ankles, calling loudly: "Ianto Jones!"

"What's with the coat?" Ianto asked, raising an eyebrow at his appearance.

Jack pressed a quick kiss to Ianto's lips and grabbed one of his bags, "It was Rose's grandfather's coat from when he was in World War 2. Found it cleaning out her attic a few weeks ago."

"She's all moved in then?" Ianto asked, helping Jack load the rest of his belongings into the back of the SUV.

"Yes. It's been a long time coming: The Doctor and Rose," Jack slammed the boot shut and swept over to Rhiannon and gave her a kiss as well, "Almost didn't see you there gorgeous. When are you going to leave Johnny for me?"

Rhiannon blushed, "Such a charmer Jack. One day I might hold you to that."

Jack gave her a wink and climbed back into the car. Ianto gave Rhiannon a kiss on the cheek and said, "Take care Rhiannon. I'll see you at Christmas."

Ianto went and climbed in the passenger side of the car. Rhiannon called after them, "Jack Harkness, you better take care of my baby brother!"

* * *

Toshiko Sato blinked at her laptop screen and adjusted her glasses slightly. She then looked doubtfully at the uncooked chicken that sat in front of her on the counter. A cough sounded from the doorway and her head darted up, "Owen – I was just…"

Owen Harper leant casually against the doorway and scratched the line of hair below his bellybutton absentmindedly, "Just?"

She gestured at the vast array of ingredients that were stacked around her, "Jack and Ianto are coming back today so I thought I would cook us all dinner."

His laugh sounded loudly, echoing off the tiles, "You can't cook Tosh. Besides if Tea-boy is getting home today then he can cook."

Tosh blinked at him, "He's not your butler. "

"Might as well be," Owen shrugged, "He is the only one who bothers to clean up this godforsaken shithole."

Tosh carefully measured some flour and admonished, "Don't call the Hub a shithole."

Owen groaned, "Not you too. It's just a shitty flat. It doesn't need a name, let alone one that Jones came up with."

"I like it," Tosh said, "It suits us."

An eyebrow rose at that statement, "What part of Hub stands for four-people-who-ended-up-together-because-there-wasn't-any-housing-available-on-campus -haven't-managed-to-be-rid-of-each-other-since?"

"Could you pass me that knife?" Tosh said, not looking him in the eye.

Owen rolled his eyes and un-bended from the doorway so he could pass her the knife, "Have we found someone to take Suzie's room yet?"

Tosh shook her head and began to chop carrots, "I put up fliers around campus yesterday. I wish she had given us a bit more warning about her transfer."

"That's Suzie for you. She didn't even tell me and I was fucking her," Owen stole a carrot and escaped the room as Tosh made a sound of displeasure.

* * *

Gwen Cooper had been having a terrible day. She pushed her sodden wet bangs out of her eyes so she could better view the bulletin board in the Student Union Building. She had arrived at Torchwood University that afternoon to discover that her housing application had been misplaced and there was no space for her in the dormitories.

She frowned at the housing offers:

"_Roommate wanted: Must love cats (because I have six of them). One Room available in a two bedroom flat: Shared bathroom. Meow."_

"_Male seeking Attractive Female roommate. One Shared bedroom. One Shared Bathroom. Utilities Included."_

"_Cheap rent! Roommate wanted: Three bedrooms, four occupants in each room."_

Gwen sighed and had almost resigned herself to sleeping in her car for the rest of the semester. She collapsed in a nearby chair and groaned at the squelch of her trousers on the plastic seat. She pulled out her slightly damp mobile from her pocket and dialed her boyfriend Rhys Williams, "Hey."

His voice was chipper and surprised and just a bit tipsy, "Well if it isn't Gwen Cooper! How are things at that posh new school of yours?"

"Miserable," She could feel her eyes tearing up slightly as she took a deep breath, "They messed up my housing so I have nowhere to live and I don't know anyone and I don't know what to do."

"I told you not to transfer," Rhys said reproachfully, "There's nothing wrong with public school."

"Not now Rhys," Gwen sighed, "I just need you to tell me that everything is going to work out…"

"Okay Gwen. There's bound to be a few people in need of roommates. So write down the addresses and go check out the places: If they look normal then call up the residents. Everything is going to be fine. Just stay calm. Call me if you need anything."

"Okay…Will do."

"Love you."

"Love you too," Gwen replied as she tore a flier that looked normal off the bulletin board.


	2. Moving In

**Torchwood University: **Chapter One: Moving In

* * *

"Honey I'm home!" Jack Harkness slammed the front door open and strode into the kitchens where he swept Tosh off her feet and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

He turned to do the same to Owen, but the Londoner moved away quickly, "Those lips aren't getting anywhere near me Harkness."

Jack pouted for a moment when a sudden noise at the door alerted them all to Ianto stumbling in with his and Jack's luggage. Jack grinned widely, showing every single one of his pearly teeth, "Even better. Ianto can have yours."

Ianto looked slightly wary as he set the bags down in the hall, "Have his what?"

Jack captured his lips in a bruising kiss that was only faintly reminiscent of the innocent peck he had given Tosh a moment before. Ianto made a brief sound of protest before opening his mouth slightly and allowing Jack to sweep his tongue over his bottom lip. Jack brought his hands up to cup Ianto's neck with his thumbs gently rubbing behind Ianto's earlobes and Ianto's hands came up to grasp at the lapels of Jack's woolen greatcoat. They were both panting slightly when Jack pulled away after pressing one last fleeting kiss to the left side of Ianto's mouth.

Tosh smiled brightly at them when they separated, "Have you two finally gotten together then?"

Ianto frowned slightly at her as he straightened his jacket and re-gathered his dropped luggage, "Of course not. Jack is just being a prat. He kissed my sister too. Remind me to punch him for that."

Her smile fell suddenly, "Oh, never mind then."

Jack was frowning as well when Tosh looked over at him, but he soon shook his head and smiled again, "Have we found someone to replace Suzie yet?"

"A girl Gwen called a few minutes ago. She's a transfer student and housing messed up her request," Tosh explained, "She's stopping by to check out the room."

Ianto had been sniffing the air while Tosh spoke and asked cautiously, "Is something burning?"

Tosh yelped and ran into the kitchen calling, "I tried to make supper."

"Tried being the operative word here," Owen snorted as Ianto hurried after her with a worried frown on his face. "Make me some coffee while you're in there tea boy."

Jack smacked Owen upside the head and collapsed gracefully across the battered couch in their sitting area, "Home sweet home. How was spending the summer here?"

"Dead boring," Owen groaned, "Just me and Tosh. Everyone but the townies all went home. What's with the outfit? Period military is not the dress of a straight man."

"Ianto likes having the braces to hold on to," Jack winked.

The doorbell sounded in a loud blaring noise that Tosh had rigged up at Jack's request to sound like the warning alert of a big science fiction super base. Owen groaned, "I hate that bloody buzzer."

Tosh called out to them, "That will be Gwen. Jack will you get it?"

Jack opened the door with a wide grin to reveal a doe-eyed soaking wet Gwen Cooper. Jack laughed and teased, "You must have the wrong door. I was expecting a potential roommate, not a drowned rat."

"Don't be rude Jack," Ianto told him reproachfully as he emerged from the kitchen along with an aromatic whiff of cooking chicken, holding a tray laden with steaming coffee cups. Ianto fixed Gwen with a level gaze and then said, "Milk and two sugars, yeah?"

Gwen nodded, her eyes widening further as she looked at him in surprise, "Exactly that."

Ianto handed Jack a blue and white stripped mug and told him firmly, "Make the introductions Jack while I fix Gwen's cup and make sure Tosh hasn't bollocksed supper up further."

Jack grinned, "Have I told you how good those jeans look on you?"

"Harassment," Ianto called back, "And Gwen, try not to drip on the carpet."

"Well come on in then," Jack gestured her to come inside. "Please keep your arms, legs, and sexual organs inside the vehicle at all times. I'll be your Captain for this leg of the tour. I'm Jack Harkness and this is Owen Harper, King of the Weevils."

"Weevils?" Gwen asked: feeling quite like she had entered another world where everyone was gorgeous looking and just a bit mad.

"You know…little maggots?" Jack replied, raising an eyebrow at her as if doubting her intelligence. "They infest food?"

"Oh right," Gwen nodded, pretending as if she had suddenly remembered that piece of information from a long ago history course.

"Owen left some food in his room for a few weeks and it grew mold. We decided it wouldn't be long before it became full of Weevils… hence the nickname."

At that moment, Tosh emerged from the kitchen looking slightly terrified and clutching two coffee mugs in her hands, she handed one to Gwen, "Ianto's kicked me out of the kitchen."

"I told you not to mess with his domain," Owen chuckled, but then bolted upright out of his lounging position, "Wait. Where's my coffee?"

Jack ignored Owen and continued his introductions, "This is Toshiko Sato: She's our resident computer genius and gorgeous to look at. Oh, and that there is Myfanwy."

Gwen looked to where he was pointing to see a goldfish swimming around in a bowl. There was a miniature replica of the statue outside the Millennium Center sticking up in the center of the bowl. Gwen took a sip of her coffee and moaned in pleasure, "This is gorgeous."

"Ianto Jones," Jack told her with a slight smile and a nod at the door leading to the kitchen, "He makes the coffee, keeps us all in line, and looks good in a suit."

"Harassment," Ianto's voice sounded from the kitchen.

Jack called roguishly, "I could listen to those beautiful Welsh vowels all night Ianto."

"Will you just show her the room already?" Ianto's voice was exasperated, "And the lavatory. She should probably share the one with Tosh not Owen. Are you staying for dinner?"

There was a long pause before Owen nudged Gwen pointedly, "He's talking to you."

"Oh, yes I would like that," Gwen replied.

"This is my bedroom," Jack told her with a wink, "For future reference. Make sure you knock first though because Ianto might have beaten you to it."

"Are you two together then?" Gwen asked, her voice suggesting disappointment.

"He's just teasing," Tosh told her as she showed her the empty bedroom and the lavatory she would share with Tosh, "He'll flirt with anything if it's gorgeous enough."

"And I'm much too smart to try and have a relationship with Jack," Ianto deadpanned as he appeared out of nowhere.

"You're breaking my heart Ianto," Jack clutched a hand to his chest in a fake swoon of dismay.

"I wasn't aware you had one, Captain." Ianto replied and went back into the kitchen, "Supper in ten. Jack, take Owen with you to go get Gwen's bags out of the boot of her car."

Gwen followed him and asked in surprise, "How did you know I was going to stay?"

Ianto looked pointedly at the already empty cup in her hand and then at Jack's retreating back as he wandered outside to fetch Gwen's things. He grinned wryly: "What more temptation could you possibly need?"

Gwen laughed, albeit a bit anxiously, and as the others returned to the kitchen she asked, "So what are all of you studying?"

"Medical Sciences," Owen managed to mumble through a bite of something he had stolen off the stove much to Ianto's disparagement.

As they were shuffled towards the dining table by Ianto, Tosh told her, "I'm in Computer Science and Theoretical Physics."

Gwen looked up at Jack as he passed her a plate full of food, "How about you Jack?"

"And ruin my mysterious allure?" He winked at her with a cheeky grin, "No thank you."

Ianto tucked a large linen napkin into his collar and took a seat next to Jack, "I think it's going to be you farting as you walk down the hallway in the mornings that will ruin your mysterious allure: not telling her that you're a Political Science student."

Beer was snorted out of Owen's nose at this and he told Ianto through another bite of food, "You know, sometimes I forget why I keep you around Ianto. Then you make us something delicious and snark at Jack and it all comes flooding back."

Ianto wrinkled his nose at the bits of chicken that sprayed out of Owen's mouth and onto the tablecloth he had set out not ten minutes before it was defiled by fowl, "All my dreams…"

It is always difficult for a stranger to integrate oneself into a group of friends, but Gwen was never one to give up so easily and she chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and said, "So obviously you all aren't Welsh. How did you end up at Torchwood?"

"Oi," Ianto interrupted, "Go look at the flag hanging above my bed. It isn't a bloody Union Jack."

Gwen smiled apologetically, and Ianto was willing to forgive her at the sight of her gap-toothed grin alone, and said, "Excepting you of course."

Jack set his cup down heavily, "Shall we start with the most obvious then."

"That's an American accent right?" She asked, turning her full attention to Jack as if it hadn't already been focused on him. Tosh took the moment to roll her eyes dramatically at Ianto who grinned into his beer.

"It's a sort of complicated story, but I'll summarize. I was born in London, but my parents split when I was three and my mom and I moved to America where she remarried and had my brother Gray. Then when I was seventeen I had a falling out with my mom and ended up moving to Cardiff with my Father and his then girlfriend, now fiancée, Rose." Jack turned and pressed a gentle kiss to a startled Ianto's forehead, "Which is where I met Mr. Jones."

Ianto's eye-rolling escalated, "By meet me he means he slept with my friend and his sister, and I was there when they found out."

"I had almost turned it into a threesome when they suddenly realized that would be incest," Jack grinned, "And Ianto stepped in just in time to save me from a severe beating."

"He then proceeded to try and sleep with me as well despite having met my girlfriend earlier in the evening," Ianto was smiling despite the disapproving tone in his voice.

"Oh," Gwen turned to look at Ianto in surprise, "You have a girlfriend."

"She died," Ianto told her, his mouth tightening imperceptibly. He then turned to Tosh with a grin and said, "Tosh why don't you tell your story. It's the best."

Her cheeks reddened at the attention, "It's not that good of a story."

"Are you kidding Tosh?" Owen laughed through his food, "My story is I had no money and they offered me a complete scholarship, including books, room, and board. Yours is epic."

Tosh smiled widely at the near-compliment from Owen, "I just hacked into a few classified Government files and after I got caught I was then politely asked by the Home Office to attend University in Wales where they could keep an eye on me for the duration of my studies."

"What she isn't saying is that she spent two months in a UNIT containment cell before the Doc found out about it and got her out," Jack grinned.

Gwen's doe-eyes expanded to twice their already enormous size, "UNIT? The Doc?"

"Unified Intelligence Taskforce: It used to be United Nation's Intelligence Taskforce until there was a separation a few decades back. They deal with…exotic problems." Ianto told her. She looked at him in surprise and he shrugged slightly, "I know everything."

"Who's the Doc then?" She asked.

"My father," Jack told her with a laugh, "Doctor John Smith. He's a sort of an advisor for UNIT. I call him Doctor because well… UNIT deals with exotic problems: The Doctor makes them better."

Gwen snorted in disbelief, but Owen ruffled her hair as he stood and told her, "Don't laugh. These are official state secrets we're sharing with you."

Owen washed his dish quickly and sped out of the kitchen while the rest of them were still collecting their dishes. Gwen smiled at Jack as they stood, "Do you want to help me unpack?"

"Would I get to open that box I saw marked 'undergarments'?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

Gwen rolled her eyes at him, but he was looking over at Ianto with pleading eyes. Ianto sighed and shrugged, "Go ahead. It's not going to kill me to wash and dry one time."

Jack planted a kiss firmly on his lips and tore out of the room, dragging Gwen behind him. Tosh came up next to Ianto and grabbed a dishrag so she could assist him, "You shouldn't have to cook and do the dishes."

Ianto smiled at her, "I don't mind. Things get so busy during the year that it's nice to have some set aside time to take a break."

"A break with Jack," Tosh added innocently.

Ianto splashed some soapy water at her, "He's my best friend. Therefore, I like spending time with him. That's all. And you're one to talk: How was spending the summer with Owen?"

A wet towel hit Ianto directly in the face and he looked at Tosh reproachfully, "Are you trying to start something Miss Sato?"

She blinked at him from behind her glasses, her eyes sparkling in anticipation of a water fight, "I believe you're the one who started something Mister Jones."

* * *

Jack and Gwen looked up from their boxes at the sounds of shrieking and giggling coming from the kitchen. Jack frowned as he attempted to peer out the opened door to see what was happening when suddenly he was hit in the face with a pillow. Gwen smiled at him, "I found the bedding."

Jack attempted one last glance out the door before turning to her with a pout, "I had hoped you wouldn't be able to find it and you would have to share a bed with me tonight."

She winked at him, glad that she had made a friend out of one of her roommates even if he was a lecherous flirt. Brash flirting she could understand, having grown up as a decently attractive woman in a not so wealthy part of Cardiff, and so it was a natural instinct to reply, "Maybe if you play your cards right I'll end up there anyway."

Another loud shriek sounded and prevented Jack from making the cheeky reply that had been forming in his brain. He hadn't perfected it yet, but was confident that upon the execution of the statement he would have finished it. Instead his head darted back towards the door, "What do you think they're doing out there?"

Gwen shrugged, "Sounds like more than just the dishes."

Jack looked startled and almost toppled over in his attempt to view the kitchen through the open door, "Really?"

"I highly doubt it Jack," She gestured for him to come help her move a bookshelf over to south facing wall, "This is heavy."

"I know it is," He climbed to his feet to help her, "I carried it in."

The bookshelf would have been easier to move if Gwen hadn't loaded it up before deciding she didn't like its location. However, as it was they managed to slide it over with only a bit of grunting and straining. Gwen smiled at him, "So what's there to do around here?"

"You mean other than me?" He asked with a grin that could, once again, only be described as lecherous.

Gwen groaned, "I set myself up for that one."

"You did," He shrugged and joined her leaning against the bookshelf, "Same as any University: nothing. There are some half decent parties, a cinema, a few good pubs, and that's about it."

"Do you have parties here?" Gwen asked, feeling rather as if she should have asked if the group spends their time drinking and on drugs before she agreed to move in with them, but it really hadn't seemed relevant at the time.

"Not open house parties and only on the weekends. Tosh almost murdered Owen when he tried to have one on a Thursday night when she had an exam on nanotechnology the next day." Jack grinned ruefully, "The things Ianto and I had to do to avoid them the next couple of weeks…"

"Are you spreading salacious rumors about the tea-boy again?" Owen asked as he poked his head into the room, "He's not going to get any action this year if you keep metaphorically pissing on him in front of everyone."

Jack glared at him as he entered the room entirely but said cheekily, "Ianto is fully capable of getting laid despite whatever metaphorical bodily fluids I may be expelling."

"I'm sure that statement was completely relevant to your discussion," Ianto's Welsh-accented voice inserted lightly from the doorway, "but I would rather not be aware of why you were all conversing about my sex life in conjunction with Jack's bodily fluids."

Jack, Owen, and Gwen all turned to look at Ianto guiltily. Tosh popped up next to him and told them, looking hopefully at Owen, "Ianto and I are going to get some coffee and pastries if any of you would like to come with."

Owen nodded immediately, "Just let me grab my jacket."

"Jack?"

"Yeah," He lifted lithely off the bookcase and slung an arm around Ianto's shoulder, pulling him from the room with a kiss to his cheek. Gwen felt effectively ignored and abandoned by Jack, so when Tosh asked if she was coming too she made excuses about how she had to finish setting up her room, but would join them another time.


	3. Day One

**Torchwood University: **Chapter 2: Day One

The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Ianto Jones had a steaming thermos of coffee clutched tightly in his right hand. All was right in the world, he decided, lifting his face towards the sun (of whom Wales was often bereft). He adjusted his tie slightly before entering the large stonework building he had been heading towards and deftly discovered the room he had marked out carefully in his planner in thick black ink.

The room was empty when he entered so he took his time admiring the domed ceiling that would be used for constellation projections. He chose a seat fifteen rows from the front and eighteen rows from the back that was one seat away from the aisle. Methodically he pulled out two identical textbooks as well as another thermos, ceramic like his own so as to not detract from the taste but patterned with blue and white stripes. He lined up that thermos and book on the desk of the aisle seat so the ninety degree angels corresponded with his own.

Lastly, Ianto pulled out his newspaper, shook it, and settled back into his chair to wait for the arrival of the other students. It wasn't long before they began shuffling in, bleary-eyed but in that odd cheerful chatty way the first day of school evokes in most people. A pretty girl with long blond hair slid into the seat on Ianto's left and smiled widely at him, "You look very prepared."

"I've found I scare people away before I've had my morning coffee and you never know who you're going to meet on the first day," Ianto quirked his lips in a half smile and gave her a quick wink as he took a long sip of coffee. Inwardly, he groaned and mentally noted not to channel Jack when chatting up a pretty girl, even if it was only by accident. He checked his watch for the time and then craned his neck around the room.

"Looking for someone?" The girl next to him asked.

Ianto gestured to the empty seat next to him that was loaded with the coffee and book, "One of my roommates. He should be here by now."

"You brought him coffee and his book?" She raised her delicate eyebrow at him.

Ianto laughed as he checked his phone to see if Jack had messaged him, "The coffee is a bribe to get him here on time. He's a beast until he's had some, but his own coffee is rubbish. I brought the book to save his chair and he would probably forget it anyway."

"That's sweet of you."

Ianto groaned, "Sweet? That word is death to a bloke's chances."

She swatted his arm and then duck down to dig through her giant purse for a notebook. Upon discovery of it she sat up with a triumphant grin, "Sweet is good. I'm Siobhan by the way."

"Ianto Jones," he returned, shaking her hand politely as the professor entered.

The class was taught by Wilfred Mott, who was basically Jack's great-grandfather, though they weren't technically blood related. Wilfred's granddaughter, Donna Noble, has been best friends with Doctor John Smith since they were children so Jack considered them family and Ianto had met them all several times. The two boys, Jack and Ianto, adored the tottering old man and so they planned to take the course together once there was space in their schedules.

Ten minutes into class Ianto was hit in the head by a paper airplane. He rolled his eyes as he opened the plane and frowned as he read the note: "Ianto – Turns out Gwen is in our class so I'm sitting with her in the back. Pass me my coffee?"

Ianto blinked at the note in surprise. Siobhan leant over and whispered, "What is it?"

Wordlessly he handed over the note and allowed a self satisfied smile to cross his features when she swore under her breath. Ianto took the note back and nodded, "He's kind of an arse."

"Hand me the thermos," Siobhan gestured for the coffee. He reluctantly handed it over to her and watched in surprise as she twisted off the lid and downed the entire coffee. Ianto's eyes widened as she put the lid back on and passed it along with the book to the bloke behind her, "Could you pass this back to the prat in the camp coat."

"What did you think of the coffee?" Ianto asked with a casual raised eyebrow.

"Orgasmic," Siobhan told him decisively as she turned to face the front again.

After class had finished, Ianto bid farewell to Siobhan and made his way to the front of the class to say hello to Professor Mott. The older man smiled widely upon recognition, "Ianto Jones. It's good to see you. Where's Jack then? I don't think I saw one of you without the other this summer. I was beginning to think you were attached at the hip."

Ianto shrugged, "We didn't sit together."

Wilfred Mott nodded wisely at something over Ianto's shoulder, "I see. It's always a girl isn't it?"

The Welshman turned in time to see Jack appear suddenly with Gwen trailing behind him, her expression half confused and half bemused as Jack threw himself at their Professor. She seemed to decide that it would be much safer to talk to Ianto so she turned to him and said, "Good morning. I'm so glad that you two are in my class. I was afraid I was going to have to spend the entire day alone."

Ianto forced himself to return her gap-toothed grin with a smile of his own, "Lucky coincidence I guess."

"Gwen, meet my grand dad," Jack directed her. Ianto took the distraction as an excuse to make his escape. He gave a quick wave and turned rapidly on his heel.

* * *

"How do you always arrive everywhere before me?" Jack griped as he slid into the booth next to Ianto, "I know for a fact that your class is across campus while mine is right next door."

"You get easily distracted," Ianto told Jack primly as he tucked a paper napkin into his collar.

Jack clasped the younger boy gently on the shoulder, "I'll concede to that."

"Owen is joining us for lunch, but Tosh has a lecture," Ianto told him, eating a chip in attempt to ignore Jack's hand as it slid along his shoulder.

"So is Gwen," Jack told him, nodding at the pair who appeared in the doorway of the dining hall.

Ianto greeted his two house mates as they joined them in the booth and Jack took the distraction as an opportunity to run his fingers through the soft curls at the base of Ianto's neck. Jack began outrageously flirting with Gwen, but kept his hand where it was: stroking the slight indentation where Ianto's neck joins his skull. Ianto was resolutely ignoring him, but when Jack began scratching his fingers against the patch of sensitive skin behind his ear, Ianto couldn't resist leaning into his touch.

A deep chuckle rumbled out the back of Jack's throat in response, "Are you done being cross with me for not sitting with you then?"

Ianto blinked his eyes open slowly as if he couldn't remember that they had fallen shut. Recovering, he shoved Jack's hand away and folded his arms across his chest, "I'm not cross. I was able to chat up a very fit girl without you there to cock things up."

"Good on you, Ianto." Owen told him through a mouthful of half chewed fish, "Martha is having a party tomorrow night – you should invite her along."

"I just met her," Ianto protested, "I don't even know if I like her."

Owen snorted, "You said she's pretty. Isn't that enough? Though if she is pretty then you might want to check to see if Jack or I have had her already."

"She's a transfer student. I doubt even Jack has had the time."

"Oi, I'm not that bad," Jack protested, returning his hand to Ianto's hair.

Owen ignored him, "Well then I think you should fuck her."

Gwen gaped at him and smacked him lightly on the arm, "Owen. That's so crass."

"Yeah Owen," Jack smirked at him, "How dare you say such a thing."

The medical student sneered at Jack, "So, how are you going to handle this one? Are you going to shag her or just piss all over Ianto whenever she's around?"

"Fuck," Ianto swore and pulled away as Jack's nails dug into his scalp, "That hurt Jack."

"Sorry," Jack apologized sullenly and moved his hand away and down onto his own lap.

Ianto rolled his eyes at the other boy's antics and told Owen, "You can't blame Jack for the complete failure of my sex life last year. I still wasn't ready to be with anyone."

"And you're ready now?" Jack asked: an unreadable expression on his face.

Ianto shrugged, "It's been two years since Lisa. I think it's time."

Gwen couldn't resist the urge to ask, "Who's Lisa."

"My ex-girlfriend –the dead one I mentioned last night." Ianto stated bluntly.

Gwen blinked at him open mouthed: her face was the very definition of the term surprised. She opened her mouth and then closed it, repeating the process several times, in a perfect imitation of a goldfish, before going with: "Oh. I'm sorry."

Ianto shrugged and attempted a smile which instead made him look desperately weary, "It wasn't your fault."

Suddenly struck by how young the boy appeared and desperate to change the subject, she asked, "How old are you Ianto?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sudden change in question, "A year younger than you I should think. I skipped a form. Jack took a gap-year so he is two years older than me."

"Not to mention you're a late baby," Jack teased, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

Owen snorted in amusement as Ianto leaned over to give Jack a quick kiss on the lips. In retaliation Ianto gave Owen a swift kick under the table before giving Jack a more lingering kiss: allowing his tongue to dart out and swipe across the salty residue left behind of Jack's lips by the chips he had been eating. He then pulled away and patted his hand as he stood, "I've got another class. I'll see you all back at the Hub."

Gwen eyed the laughing Jack shrewdly, "You shouldn't lead Ianto on like that: Especially if he is still in a vulnerable state from losing Lisa."

Owen rolled his eyes at Gwen and Jack laughed again, "Did it look like I initiated that? Besides, it's only a bit of a snog Gwen. You and I could do some kissing if it would make you feel better."

Gwen blushed, "I have a boyfriend."

The cocky smirk plastered on Jack's face somehow managed to be charming, "He could always join us, or, failing the boyfriend, you could join me and Ianto. I for one am always up for a good ménage à trois."

Owen groaned and threw a crisp at Jack, "As exciting as you may think your sex life may be: I for one would rather not waste my entire break on it. Therefore, I think I'll follow Tea boy's example and head to class. Do you know who's making supper tonight?"

"Ianto is going to do it until we get a rotor set up that works with everyone's schedules. I'm taking him to the store after his lecture gets out."

Owen nodded, "Any chance of you distracting him from finalizing it for a few weeks? None of you could cook to save your lives… unless, Gwen?"

"Sorry," Gwen apologized, "I'm pretty much useless at anything other than soup in a can."

"Great," Owen grumbled, "We've got two beautiful women living with us, but it's the burly Welshman we've got in the kitchen with the apron."

* * *

Tosh looked up in surprise at the sudden tapping of knuckles on her wooden doorframe. She pulled off her glasses to reveal the form of her new roommate, "Hi Gwen. Did you find everything in the lavatory okay?"

"Yeah, thanks for clearing off that shelf in the shower for me," Gwen replied. She looked around curiously at the three flashing monitors on Tosh's desk. Next to them was a half assembled laptop with its circuit board open surrounded by various bits of metal, wires, and tools. "What's all this then?"

Tosh slid her glasses back on, "Just a bit of a project I was working on this summer. I got bored so I built a new laptop for Ianto. His is rubbish. I'm just waiting for him to transfer all his information to an external hard drive for me so I can get it set up on this one."

Gwen perched herself on the end of Tosh's bed and after a few minutes asked, "So, what's the deal with Ianto and Jack?"

"I've said before that Jack would shag anything if it's gorgeous enough and there's no denying that Ianto is gorgeous. However, I am not under the impression that they are anything other than friends."

Gwen looked doubtful, "Friends who kiss?"

Tosh shrugged and smiled, "You've met Jack – is it really that much of a surprise? He's a very tactile person. I guess his birth mum is kind of a free spirit so he was raised to show affection in physical ways even in platonic situations."

"I suppose that makes sense," Gwen laughed, "He's something, that's for sure."

Turning back to her keyboard, Tosh began typing in a few figures, "Don't let the flirting put you off though. He's not as a big of a player as he acts and is perfectly able to be monogamous."

The sounds of Glenn Miller trickling through the walls reached Gwen's ears and she smiled dreamily as she thought about Jack, for once not bothering to mention her boyfriend Rhys.

Tosh wondered when Gwen was planning on leaving her room.

* * *

"This is really terrible music to fuck to," Ianto grunted as he slammed his hips into Jack. "The rhythm is all wrong and it's too slow."

Jack moaned and gripped the headboard, which causes the tendons in his arm to strain in such an appealing way that Ianto could not resist leaning down to lick a long stripe up the throbbing muscle. After a few deep breaths, Jack managed to gasp: "Is now really the time to be criticizing my music selection?"

Ianto thrust deeper, plummeting into the hot wet sieve of Jack's arse, "I'm not criticizing it. I'm simple suggesting that it is not the appropriate accompaniment for the current activity. This music is made for making love, not one best friend fucking his other best friend into a mattress so hard that he will not be able to sit properly for a week."

Jack slid his hands up Ianto's damp back, stilling him, and, grazing his teeth across a tight hardened nipple, whispered: "We could make love."

Ianto snorted, pushed in agonizingly slowly and muttered through a mostly breathless gasp, "Don't be stupid."

Jack rolled his hips enticingly, but Ianto used the movement to his advantage and pressed firmly against Jack's prostate. Jack mewled and muttered, "Change of plans, Ianto. Make love to me tomorrow. Right now, I need you hard."

"As you wish," Ianto teased: biting down hard on Jacks shoulder and swirling his tongue in a way that was sure to leave a mark. He began snapping his hips in a quick fashion and soon brought them both to screaming climaxes. They collapsed in a sweaty heap while regaining their breath.

"Stay with me," Jack told the younger boy, "Don't go back to your room tonight."

He rolled away from Jack and off of the bed. He pulled off his shirt from where it had landed on top of a lampshade, "We haven't even had dinner yet, Jack."

Jack emerged lithely from the bed and stood, pressed behind Ianto, helping him do up his buttons, "After dinner then. Will you stay with me tonight?"

Ianto twisted around to stare at Jack with a slightly confused expression. After a moment he relented, "If it means that much to you. "

Pressing a kiss to the back of Ianto's neck, Jack flopped back down onto his bed in a sprawled open leg position which hid nothing from Ianto's appreciative glance. He smiled suggestively and trailed his hand down to his softened cock, "I wonder if I could persuade you to stay for another round."

"You wouldn't get dinner then and there are not enough nutrients in my semen to sustain you," Ianto told him as he pressed a quick kiss to his lips and disappeared through their joint lavatory.

"This is just awkward," Ianto said, staring up at the dark ceiling. Dinner had passed without incident and after another round of what he would term 'bloody fantastic sex' Jack had insisted that Ianto hold to his promise of staying. They were currently lying with a pillow width between them.

Jack turned on his side to view the other boy, "Nobody said you had to lie on the other side of the bed. This isn't exactly what I had in mind?"

"You wanted to cuddle?" Ianto asked incredulously; raising an unseen eyebrow at the other boy.

Jack seemed to have heard it in his tone because he flipped over so his back was to Ianto and mumbled, "I wanted you in my bed. You might as well not be if you're all the way over there."

Ianto chuckled lightly and scooted closer to the older boy until he was spooned against his back. He pressed kisses along Jack's shoulder until the American's tense pose relaxed, "I'm sorry Jack. I'm just new to whatever this is… I didn't know that cuddling is allowed."

Jack slid his legs back so they were tangled up with Ianto's, "I like touching you."

The bed creaked as Ianto nestled his crotch against Jack's arse. He thought about protesting that they were just fuck buddies and that in none of the stories he had heard about such relationships were there any cuddling. He thought about insisting that he needed the distance in order to keep his emotions away from the situation. Instead he said, "Go to sleep Jack."

"I want to be the big spoon," Jack insisted, flipping around, "Switch with me."

"We're the same size," Ianto told him, "Why do you get to be the big spoon?"

Jack pondered this for a moment, not understanding why he had been denied his request. After a bit he came up with what he thought he could pass as an adequate reason, "Because you got to top today... twice."

They were so close their noses were bumping as Ianto responded, "Well I think that we should continue the trend of the evening so therefore I think that I should be the big spoon."

"If you are the little spoon I will give you a hand job before you go to bed," Jack told him, giving him a deep, long, lingering kiss.

"Are you bribing me?"

Jack slid his large slightly rough hand down Ianto's thigh, "Would it work?"

Instead of seeing Ianto's head shake, Jack could feel it. His voice was hoarse as he turned around saying: "Nope, but I'll relent anyway: Just as long as you go to bed."

Jack crowed in delight and scooped the other boy towards him. He curled up impossible close, threw a leg over Ianto's thigh, an arm across his chest, and pulled the blankets around them. His nose buried itself in the soft hair at the nape of Ianto's neck and as he breathed in the smell of his lover he decided, "This is nice."

Ianto murmured a noise of agreement. He had just been falling asleep when Jack spoke up suddenly, "Did you still want that hand job?"


	4. Split Lip

"You look like a prat." Owen informed Ianto dryly.

Ianto deftly tied his tie into an impeccable Windsor knot, "You tell me that every day."

"Well you look like a prat every day," Owen retorted, "How do you expect to chat up girls at this when you look like a twat?"

"I don't think there are going to be any spare girls around for me to chat up," Ianto responded dryly, "The only girls are Gwen, Martha, and Tosh."

Owen smirked at him, "That's who it was going to be. Until Martha met a nice transfer student called Siobhan in her Lit class. Then she happened to mention this to me and I happened to mention that our little woobie Ianto had met a girl of that name in one of his classes…"

Ianto's eyes widened and he let out a low groan, "This is going to be a disaster."

"It's not going to be that bad," Owen told him, "Gwen and I will run coverage."

"I hardly think that Gwen wearing a low-cut top will be enough to distract Jack when he gets in his moods." Ianto's voice had reached dryness comparable to the Sahara, "What did I do with the wine?"

"You're asking me?" Owen asked surprised, "You really are worried."

Ianto ran his hand through his hair as he searched the kitchen for it, "I just don't want to deal with this. I wanted to have a nice evening with friends."

Owen leaned uncomfortably against the frame of the door. He coughed, "Look Ianto, I'm fine giving you advice about getting shagged, but go to Tosh if you want to talk about feelings."

Ianto grabbed the wine bottle with more force than strictly necessary, "I don't want to talk about feelings and I definitely don't need your help getting laid."

"Just trying to help," Owen said, pulling on his battered leather jacket, "Does she still live on Meadow Park?"

"No, she moved into Tom's place," Ianto reminded him as they climbed into Owen's car.

The ride passed in a terse silence, with Ianto curtly directing Owen towards Tom's house. The second they walked in the door a frantic Martha called, "Oh, Ianto thank goodness you're here!"

Ianto turned to Owen with a sigh, "For once I would like to walk into a house and not be greeted by a kitchen related disaster."

"It's ruining your masculine image," Owen snorted.

"At least the apron Jack got me is safely at the hub." Ianto pulled off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and with a quick hello to Tom, made his way into the kitchen. He immediately encountered a billow of steam which revealed a flour dusted Martha and Siobhan. He rested his hands on his hips and said, "Why am I constantly surrounded by beautiful intelligent women who know nothing about what to do in a kitchen?"

"Hi Ianto," Siobhan greeted him with a bright smile, "And it's because we're modern women. We'll be bringing home the bacon for you to fry up for us in a pan."

"I'm not sure that you would recognize it as bacon," Ianto eyed the mess of dough on the table, "What exactly was this attempt at food?"

"We tried to hand roll pasta…" Martha trailed off with a gesture, "It didn't really work."

Ianto moved over to the cook top and then checked the refrigerator, "Well the sausage looks salvageable. I'll call Jack and have him grab some mozzarella cheese from our house on his way over, and that plus these ripe little tomatoes I got at the store and some fresh oregano should be pretty delicious. Do you have any garlic?"

"Garlic powder," Martha replied, offering him the bottle.

Ianto winced, "I'll have him bring some garlic too…"

"I think Ianto's poor little heart would give out if he saw the state of my kitchen." Siobhan confided to Martha in a stage whisper.

"I should have listened to my mum and settled down with a nice Welsh girl in the countryside where she could make me Cawl and rub my feet," Ianto griped playfully as he pulled out his mobile, "I'll step outside and give Jack a call."

Once he had disappeared around the corner, Martha turned to Siobhan expectantly, "So, Ianto looks fit today."

"Does he always dress like that?"

"The Doctor, that's Jack's father, has always been a sort of role model for Ianto. He's the father that Ianto never had, and he wears these slim tight suits all of the time. Ianto seems to have taken that as inspiration," Martha explained, "I think it suits him."

"It does. I'm a sucker for waistcoats," Siobhan smiled back. "It's not often you find blokes who worry about their appearance."

"Wait until you meet Jack," Martha laughed. "I'll never understand how he wears period military clothing and avoids getting bashed."

"He'll tell you that it's the jaw line," Ianto reappeared suddenly. "I'll tell you it's because he was born running. He never sticks around long enough for people to figure out if he's playing a joke or not."

"Is he bringing the food?"

"Yup: he had already left so he had to turn back to get it, but should be here soon."

"Shall we pop open that bottle of wine you brought and enjoy ourselves until he gets here?"

"I'll tell you what. You two take the bottle out to Owen and Tom. I'll get to work fixing this disaster and then hopefully it will not take too long once Jack gets here." He shooed them out of the kitchen, and let out a huge sigh once they left. He briefly contemplated letting the chaos reign in hopes that it would keep the focus off the obvious set-up the others were planning.

Instead, he grabbed an apron from the rack and slid it over his head. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice Jack's arrival until the older boy was pressed up against his back with his lips against his neck, "Can we have a weekend where you wear just an apron and nothing else? Do you realize where the bow of this would rest if you weren't wearing trousers?"

Ianto shoved him away, "Not here Jack. Did you bring the food?"

"That's not all I brought," his voice was gravelly as he pressed up against Ianto's thigh.

Jack could practically feel the other boy roll his eyes as he asked, "Are you sure you didn't forget something: Such as your self-control?"

"If I brought everything do I get a reward later?" Jack's lips moved down to nibble at the soft curve of Ianto's left ear.

"If you behave you might get one," Ianto responded, pulling away to look in the bag that Jack brought him. After a moment of browsing he looked up sharply, "Did you remember to pick up Gwen?"

Jack grinned sheepishly and ran his hand threw his hair (not in the traditional method of ruffling the top, but instead up the short hairs at the back of his head), "Was I supposed to do that?"

"Jack!" Ianto admonished, launching into a lecture.

After a moment of Ianto's berating, Jack finally admitted, "She was running a bit late. I said I would go pick up the food first and then Owen volunteered to go get her."

Ianto frowned slightly, "Okay. Well, go entertain the girls and leave me in peace. Oh, and please don't chat up Tom again."

"Jealous?"

"Hardly," Ianto snorted, "You know it makes him uncomfortable. He's never going to allow you to another one of these parties if you pull a stunt like last time."

"Of course he will. He's addicted to your food and he knows you will not come if I'm not invited," Jack smirked.

"You think rather highly of our friendship," Ianto deadpanned, "But on the contrary, I would be more inclined to attend these dinners in your absence."

"So you wouldn't have competition for these fit girls Martha keeps parading in front of you?" Jack's voice had taken on a quality that Ianto might have qualified as jealously if it hadn't been Jack talking at the time.

"Siobhan isn't like the other girls," Ianto replied, unable to prevent his eyebrow from arching at Jack's strange tone. "I actually like her. She's the one I sat with when you ditched me."

Jack's gaze hardened immediately, "Will you get over that already. I had the opportunity to sit next to a pretty girl and I took it. Christ, Ianto. You can be such a girl sometimes."

Ianto was at a loss as to how the conversation had taken such a turn. He wasn't quite sure how to respond so he blinked at Jack a couple of times and then responded carefully, "I think you of all people would be well acquainted with how much of a man I am."

The corner of Jack's mouth twitched upwards in amusement of its own accord. However, this did not prevent him from storming out of the room anyway. Ianto thought about being concerned for a moment, but then decided against it: he had a disaster to avert. An hour later he brought the serving bowl of pasta out to the table to find Jack flirting with Siobhan with the enthusiasm as if he had been trapped in a monastery for a year.

"I like to go to the driving range once a week at least. Shoot a couple of rounds," Jack was telling her. His arm was casually draped across the back of her chair.

"That sounds fun. I've always wanted to try," Gwen interrupted.

Jack looked over at her and winked, "I could take you some time and teach you a few things. I taught Ianto how. I'm a good teacher."

"If a bit unorthodox," Ianto muttered quietly, remembering their first 'lesson' fondly, but he was unable to prevent himself from hoping that Gwen's lessons wouldn't be as 'extensive' as his were. Once he had set everything out on the table he took the only open chair (on Siobhan's other side) and found that Jack seemed to be quizzing Siobhan about her life.

"You're studying art? That's not exactly a real major, is it?"

She smiled brightly at him, "I know it seems like a fluff major, but I intend to become a high-priced art dealer. I have a lot of connections among that community."

"Do you have family in the business?"

Her face fell slightly as she answered, "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

Siobhan looked startled at the sudden icy tone in his voice, but he smiled when she peered over at him questioningly. Deciding that she had been mistaken, she replied, "My Father was an Art thief. He's in prison because of it."

"So are you training to become an Art dealer or to follow your father's footsteps?"

Martha gasped and exclaimed, "Jack!"

Siobhan looked hurt as she answered, "I've seen what he did to our family and I have no wish to repeat his mistakes. Who better to realize a piece is a forgery than the daughter of the man who was the best at making forgeries?"

"Aren't you worried that prospective clients might worry about you stealing their works?" Jack continued to interrogate her.

Ianto interrupted coldly, "I think many people realize that you can't help who your Father is. Not all of us had childhoods worth reenacting."

For the first time since Ianto had sat down at the table Jack looked over at him with a guilty look on his face. "Sorry."

Ianto shook his head and stood up from the table, "I think you should go, Jack. I'll put some dinner in a box for you."

The others watched as Jack and Ianto silently walked into the kitchen and once the pair had vanished around the corner, everyone began talking at once. Martha smiled apologetically at Siobhan, "I'm sorry about Jack. I really don't know what got into him."

"It's okay. It was rather unexpected though."

"It's Ianto," Martha tried to explain. "Jack's a bit… protective of him."

"He doesn't want Ianto to have a life of his own, because then he won't be able to jump to Jack's every whim at all times." Owen said.

"Contrary to belief, Owen, I'm not Jack's dog." Ianto had reappeared, nursing a split lip.

Tosh gasped, "Did Jack hit you?"

"No. Of course he didn't hit me."

Gwen got up from the table as she heard the front door slam, "I'm going to go check on Jack. Thanks for the meal Martha."

* * *

"Siobhan was very pretty," Tosh mentioned slyly as they walked up to their door.

"If you don't shag her then I will," Owen told Ianto as they entered.

Jack's head immediately snapped around to them from where he sat on the threadbare couch with Gwen's head lolled across his lap and his hand tangled in her hair. He sneered at the group, "She'll probably do you both if you ask nicely."

Ianto shot a pained look at Jack before disappearing down the hallway muttering, "I'm going to take a shower."

Owen snorted when he saw Gwen drooling on Jack's thigh, "Only the second night of classes and she's knackered. I'd better get her to bed."

"I can do it," Jack started to protest but Owen had already scooped up Gwen's sleeping form in his arms and was following Ianto towards the hall.

Tosh's eyes didn't leave Owen's back until long after he had turned the corner. When they finally did she noticed that Jack was staring at her knowingly. Turning a pleasant shade of pink Tosh abruptly changed the subject, "So you and Gwen looked close."

Jack shrugged, "She's a nice girl."

She smiled at him encouragingly, "Yeah? So has anything happened there then?"

"Well it was kind of more of a thank you on her part. For you know…being nice or something. On the way back from Martha's we found this little kitten names Carys stuck on the porch in the rain and I brought it back to the owners listed on the tag."

Tosh smiled at him, "Sweet. So then what happened?"

"We kissed," Jack admitted.

"When was this?" A scratchy voice asked from behind them and they turned to find Ianto standing in the kitchen doorway with two steaming mugs clutched tightly in his hands.

"About an hour ago," Jack responded coolly.

Ianto cleared his throat loudly, "Right, of course."

Tosh looked back and forth between the two men: Jack's eyes were challenging and focused on Ianto, while Ianto's eyes were darting around avoiding looking at anyone. After a few moments he cleared his throat again and turned to escape to his bedroom. It was at that moment Jack spoke up, "Is one of those coffees for me?"

Ianto turned, his eyes wide, as he looked at Jack and then down at the two cups in his hands, and then up at Jack again before mumbling, "What? Oh, no. I just wanted a lot of coffee. I thought I'd bring two mugs so I wouldn't have to go back for more. So… yeah…bye then."

"I don't think I've ever heard Ianto stutter before," Tosh stated after Ianto's door had firmly shut, looking over at Jack, "One of us should go see what he's upset about."

"Better you than me."

"He's your best friend," Tosh told him, "Besides my displutonic resonator simulation will have run its course by now and I have to go examine the findings before meeting with my research professor tomorrow afternoon."

"Sometimes I feel like you just make up technical sounding words to confuse us so we'll do whatever you tell us to," Jack laughed, stretching languidly as he unfurled his body slowly from the seat.

"Until you master Advanced Theoretical Physics you will never know. Go on then." Tosh shooed him out of the room and towards the closed door.

Jack rapped on the door in the loud sure way he was accustomed to and grabbed the knob to open the door without even giving Ianto a chance to reply. The door didn't budge and Jack poked his head around the corner to look at Tosh, "It's locked. Since when do these doors have locks?"

"They don't," Tosh replied. "I had to buy a new doorknob with a lock to prevent Owen from barging into my room last term to ask for help with his studies."

Jack bent down to peer at Ianto's doorknob curiously, "It looks the same as mine."

Owen snorted as he came out of his bedroom to see what the commotion was, "Honestly did neither of you ever argue with your parents?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jack asked exasperatedly.

Owen sighed dramatically, "He probably just jimmied his desk chair under the door knob so then it can't turn."

The pair turned to Owen in surprise. Tosh blinked rapidly from behind her glasses and said, "That's actually sort of brilliant."

Owen shook his head at the flabbergasted pair, "So brilliant every ten year old with strict parents or nosey siblings figured it out but two 'adults' couldn't?"

"He might have a point," Tosh told Jack, pushing her glasses up her nose a little bit.

Owen rubbed his forehead slowly as he turned to reenter his room but before he shut the door behind him he said, "Here's another point. You have a connecting bathroom that locks from the inside and the doors open inward."

Jack raced through his own door, but returned to where Tosh waited in dismay. Tosh smiled at him and asked kindly, "He locked your side of the lavatory from the inside didn't he?"

"Yup: I'm going to bed then. I'll see you in the morning Tosh," Jack sighed. However, he soon found that he couldn't fall asleep. An hour later found him listening to the sounds of Ianto puttering around in the lavatory and watching the shadows of his movement flutter across the swath of light leaking out from the crack between the door and the carpet. The beam became almost entirely obscured for a moment and Jack heard the tell tale sound of his side of the lavatory door unlocking before the light switched off.

Jack flipped over to lie on his other side and was immediately faced with the neon glow of his bedside clock. He stared at the slowly changing numbers for another twenty minutes before sliding out of bed and padding through the lavatory. He slowly cracked open the door leading to Ianto's room and peered in. He could just make out a lump under the duvet

After some time had passed the lump spoke, "Jack, what are you doing?"

Feeling rather caught out Jack replied sullenly, "Nothing."

"You can't tell because it's dark, but I am currently raising one eyebrow at you."

"I was cold."

"There are spare blankets in the cupboard in the hall."

"I kind of hoped I wouldn't need a blanket. Actually what I have in mind doesn't involve any sort of clothing." Jack's hundred watt smile could almost be seen through the darkness.

Ianto's voice was terse as he replied, "I was sleeping Jack."

"Is that an invitation?"

Ianto switched his bedside lamp on and rubbed his eyes tiredly, he looked like he was about to say something but apparently changed his mind and just switched off the lamp again and said simply: "Not tonight Jack."


	5. Dynamics

Ianto arrived at class the next morning uncharacteristically late only to find Gwen sitting in his seat with Jack on the aisle and Siobhan in her regular spot. He briefly considered retreating but instead carefully masked his emotions and brushed by the pair to slide into the empty seat on the other side of Siobhan. She smiled at him as he sat and said, "Not so prepared today I see."

He smiled at her ruefully, "Still got my coffee though."

"I've tasted your coffee. It's worth being a few minutes late. So what happened with Jack once you got back to your flat?"

"Nothing really," He shrugged, "I managed to avoid him for most of the night."

Her face grew puzzled, "I assumed that you had made up. Why is he sitting here with us then?"

"He probably wants to make up because he had to drink his own shit coffee this morning." Ianto through privately that Jack also missed the sex if the way Jack's eyes were currently pinned to the hollow of Ianto's throat (revealed by the open collar of his shirt which he had failed to button all the way in his haste) meant anything, but he kept this information to himself. His hypothesis was proven correct when he was pulled into a dark alcove seconds after leaving class.

Jack immediately latched his mouth onto Ianto's neck: biting, sucking, and nibbling at the sensitive skin of his pulse point. He kissed his way up Ianto's throat mumbling against it: "You looked so sexy this morning with your hair mused up like you just had the best shag of your life."

Ianto twisted his hands in Jack's hair in order to wrench Jack's head back so that he could press their lips together in a frantic open mouthed kiss. Jack groaned as he was shoved painfully against the cold stone wall and Ianto slid his hands roughly down Jack's body and slid them into the back of his trousers. As he felt Ianto's hands palming his arse, Jack's hands rose involuntarily to twine into Ianto's tousled locks.

Then minutes later found Jack shoved up against the inside wall of a lavatory stall and ten minutes after that found Ianto trying to flatten his hair in the watermarked mirror. He could just make out Jack's satisfied smirk as he leaned casually against the wall behind him so he told him dryly: "Your pants are unbuttoned."

Jack laugh, his voice still slightly hoarse from sex, and walked to Ianto so that he was pressed against Ianto's back with his breath puffing warmly against the Welshman's ear. He kissed an already darkening patch on the younger man's neck and whispered, "I think I accidentally left a mark."

"You 'accidentally' left a mark?" Ianto snorted derisively as he examined the spot Jack had indicated just under his left ear. "You practically mauled my neck muttering _mine_ the entire time. I think we can safely deduce that it was on purpose."

Ianto could feel Jack's chuckle against the back of his neck in short puffs rather than hear it. Jack told him lightly: "Might have done."

Eyes rolling, Ianto asked: "You wouldn't have something to cover it up would you?"

"Like make-up?" Jack questioned wryly. "No. It's the one failing of me being a bloke I suppose, but trust me there are many more upsides."

"Are there really?" Ianto mocked, "I can't think of anything."

Jack shoved him playfully before diving in for a quick peck on the lips, "I think we're a little late for our next class."

Ianto's eyes widened comically, "Shit. I'll see you at lunch."

Jack smiled fondly at the younger boy as he raced out of the lavatory with his shirt flapping as it was only tucked in the back of his trousers on one side.

* * *

"I grabbed you the last packet of chocolate Hob Nobs," Jack told Ianto as he slide into the seat next to him at lunch.

"Thanks." Ianto gestured to his own try, "Take my pickles will you."

"Course," Jack replied, quickly swapping his tomatoes with Ianto's pickles.

"I see you two made up," Gwen smiled her gap-toothed grin at the pair as Ianto took a swig of Jack's water before turning to his own Coke.

Owen wrinkled his nose, "I thought we were done with your weird bromance."

"Don't be jealous because nobody buys you biscuits Owen," Siobhan teased as she slid into the booth on the other side of Ianto.

Ianto turned his head to greet Siobhan which accidentally revealed the dark purple patch on his neck to Owen who let out a holler, "Is that your handiwork Miss Siobhan."

Siobhan blinked as she stared at the visible teeth marks on the side of Ianto's neck and his wide pleading eyes that were focused directly on her. She noted vaguely that Jack was looking pointedly off in the distance and facing the opposite direction. She nodded slowly at first and then a bit faster upon receiving Ianto's grateful smile, "Yeah…I just can't control myself sometimes. We…um, nipped off into a deserted corridor after class."

"Yup," Ianto pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and slung his arm casually over her shoulder.

"Good for you mate," Owen grinned, "About time."

"Yeah, well," Ianto gathered up what was left of his lunch, "We're going to head off a bit early today. See you when I get home."

Siobhan was giggling as they ran out and burst into full blow gales of laughter when they had made it out of the building, "This explains so much."

"Thanks for covering for me," Ianto blushed.

"No problem. You should have explained about you and Jack earlier. I wouldn't have been so offended by the way he acted at dinner last night," She paused for a moment: "It was Jack right?"

His flush turned darker, "Yeah."

She stole one of his biscuits and mumbled through a mouthful, "So why the secrecy? It's not like you two are aiming to avoid speculation."

"The way Jack flirts it would be more telling if we didn't flirt," Ianto replied. "Anyway, the reason we aren't telling anyone is because there isn't anything to tell. I mean, we're shagging and all, but we used to just be friends with benefits and now he wants to cuddle after and I don't know what that means or if it even means anything."

"It doesn't look like you're just friends," Siobhan raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, it doesn't, but then he goes and snogs Gwen Cooper and it does sound like we're just friends," Ianto sighed.

"He kissed Gwen?" Siobhan asked, eyes widening, "This is better than watching Hollyoaks! When?"

"Last night after dinner," Ianto crooked up a self-deprecating smile. "Supposedly it was just a thank you for rescuing a lost kitten peck, but the look on his face said otherwise."

"A thank you kiss?" Siobhan looked incredulous, "Doesn't she have a boyfriend she keeps chatting about? Should she be giving out thank you kisses?"

"It's Jack…" Ianto shrugged. "He's difficult to resist. I was straight until I met him."

"I find that hard to believe," Siobhan said eyeing his outfit.

He laughed and explained with the lie that he had grown so used to using as a child that he half believed it: "My father was a master tailor."

Siobhan bit into an apple thoughtfully, "So how long am I supposed to be your beard for?"

Ianto choked, "What? You're not my beard."

She smiled, "I was teasing, but if I'm fake mauling you in a lavatory stall you could at least take me on a fake date to the movies Friday night."

"Do you want me to take you to the movies?"

She batted her eyebrows at him playfully, "Why Mr. Jones I would love to."

"Your wish is my command."

She grinned wickedly at him, "Ask Jack if you can borrow his car."

"You're terrible," He laughed, "I'll text you after class."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me borrow your car," Ianto told the older boy who was currently lounging naked in his bed as Ianto adjusted his bow tie in the mirror.

Jack shrugged artfully causing the sheet to fall further down his body revealing the cut of his hips and just a hint of soft hair. His voice was still rough from sex as he asked, "So you never explained. Is this an actual date or is this a part of your elaborate cover up scheme?"

Ianto peered curiously over his shoulder, "Does it matter?"

Jack made an indifferent noise in reply and said, "I was proud of that hickey I gave you. I don't like her getting credit for it."

Unconsciously brushing the still darkened spot on his neck, Ianto asked: "So is Rhys here yet?"

"Who?"

"Gwen's boyfriend," Ianto rolled his eyes exasperatedly, "You really don't listen do you?"

"I listen to things that concern me."

"And Gwen having a boyfriend doesn't concern you?"

"Should it? I'm sure he'd be easily disposable if I ever fancied having a go at her," Jack folded his arms behind his head with a shit-eating grin on his face plastered on his face.

"Is that likely to happen any time soon?" Ianto feigned indifference as he untied his bow tie and tossed it to the side.

Jack slid off his bed revealing himself in his full naked glory and grabbed a deep purple tie off of a bedpost. He began tying it around Ianto's neck as he said, "I've got my hands full with you right now."

"Full Windsor," Ianto told him as he watched Jack's large hands deftly tie the small sliver of silk.

Grinning, Jack teased: "Ooh, fancy."

"I'm trying to make you jealous," Ianto quipped back.

Jack murmured quietly, "It's working."

"Come with us," Ianto's voice was just as quiet. "Not to the movies, but afterward. Come get a drink with us."

"I told Owen I'd go out on the pull with him tonight."

"I thought your hands were full."

Jack laughed, "They are. I'm just going as Owen's wingman for the night. Send me a text when you get out of the movies and I'll let you know where we are. You can 'accidentally' meet up with us."

* * *

"I'm just saying it was a complete rip-off of Pocahontas," Siobhan told him as they entered the dimly lit pub. "And I would have liked to have been informed of that ahead of time."

Ianto groaned: they had been discussing the movie since they had left and could not get over one argument, "It's perfectly viable for a film to update certain well-known motifs, look at Shakespeare. That's all he did."

"Ianto Jones! How was your holiday?"

Ianto grinned at the black Londoner who walked up to bump fists with him, "Mickey the idiot."

He groaned at the familiar nickname, "Don't you start that too."

Ianto laughed, "Siobhan this is Mickey Smith."

"Nice to meet you," Siobhan giggled nervously which resulted in Ianto raising an eyebrow at her. She smacked him on the arm.

"Want to get a table with us Mickey?" Ianto offered.

Mickey nodded absentmindedly without taking his eyes off of Siobhan, "Sure. The others are here too but the booth is full."

The three of them slid into a recently opened corner booth and Jack appeared seconds later with a pitcher of beer and glasses for the four of them. He grinned and winked roguishly at them, "How was your date?"

"This was a date?" Mickey asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but he has a terrible taste in movies so we broke up right after," Siobhan spoke up quickly, leaning closer to Mickey.

"So you're single then?"

"Completely," She confessed, smiling brightly at him and tossing her hair.

He smiled back just as brightly, "How about I buy you a real drink instead of this piss water that Jack brought over."

"That would be lovely."

Jack and Ianto watched in amusement as the pair walked over to the bar. Ianto took a sip of his beer and noted dryly, "There goes our cover."

Jack snorted into his drink, "Didn't last very long did it?"

Loud laughter sounded from the booth that housed Owen, Gwen, Martha, Tom, and a stranger who Ianto presumed was Gwen's boyfriend. He nodded over at them, "That Rhys then?"

Jack slid towards Ianto in the booth until they were pressed together from hip to knee underneath the table, "Yeah. I told you I didn't have any competition."

Ianto shrugged in reply, "Gwen's pretty. There must be a reason they're together. Maybe he has a ten inch long cock."

Siobhan and Mickey arrived at the table just as Jack was snorting beer out of his nose from shock at Ianto's cavalier comment. He recovered quickly and contested: "Twenty quid to whoever finds out first."

The night ended with Jack and Ianto both having skinned knees after a brief skirmish broke out in the lavatory in their attempts to acquire the urinal next to Rhys.

* * *

"I'm not going," Ianto stated firmly two weeks after that night in the pub. "And don't come in here I actually need to get clean."

"But Ianto, who am I going to share a tent with if you don't come?" Jack pouted from outside the shower. "And I'm already naked so it's rude if you don't let me in."

"If I let you in will you stop bothering me about going camping?"

"Nope, but I'll stop bothering you about the fact we haven't had sex in days." Jack answered, sliding the shower curtain open to reveal a soapy Ianto.

"After mid terms," Ianto insisted, but couldn't keep his eyes from slipping down Jack's naked body. He forced his eyes back up and then cursed inwardly as he met Jack's pleading eyes he gave in immediately, "Get in here."

Jack almost knocked over the shower curtain in his haste to enter the tub. He dove straight under the shower head and emerged from the water with his hair dripping down his forehead, eyes sparkling he pressed his wet slippery body flush against Ianto's, "Are you sure you won't reconsider going camping with us?"


	6. Countrycide

"I hate the bloody countryside," Owen complained and Ianto was quite inclined to agree with him. He felt himself nodding along as Owen added, "And what's that fucking smell."

"That would be grass Owen," Gwen teased.

Ianto shuffled his legs in a vain attempt to find a comfortable position until he finally asked plaintively, "Is it time for me to switch with Owen yet?"

Gwen unfolded her giant map, causing the backseat to become even more claustrophobic as one corner of the map wacked Ianto in the face. She cleared her throat loudly and informed them, "We should reach the agreed upon rest spot designated for the change in approximately ten kilometers."

Leaning forward so that his head was pressed between the driver's seat and the window, Ianto pleaded, "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Drive fast."

* * *

"Need a hand getting it up Owen?" Tosh teased as she watched him unsuccessfully attempt to raise his tent for the fifth time.

Ianto missed Owen's sarcastic reply, but the crestfallen look on Tosh's face alerted him that it wasn't pretty. He winced on her behalf and called out to Jack, "What happened to my sleeping roll?"

Jack called back from inside the girls tent where he was helping Gwen set up their air mattress, "It's in our tent."

Ducking into the tent, Ianto noted that it contained only one two person sleeping bag rolled out on the floor. He quirked his eyebrow up in amusement as Jack pushed him farther into the tent, "You know these were designed for a bloke and a woman. Do you really think we'll both fit?"

"It'll be a close call. There might not be room for any clothing," Jack nipped playfully at Ianto's ear. "I'm thinking a little role play: You can be the lost hiker that wandered into my camp with hypothermia and I'll be the good Samaritan who will strip you down and warm you up."

"You're an impossible thing Jack." Ianto informed him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips.

Jack grinned, "So I've been told" and Ianto could feel his smile as they kissed.

A loud cursing from outside the tent forced them to reluctantly part and emerge from the tent to discover Owen kicking a pile of thick tarp and string, "I fucking give up! Looks like I'll have to bunk with you two poofs."

Jack broke off mid-laugh and a frown with the corner of his lip curled up in distaste brushed over his features, but was gone quickly as he smiled, "Trying to sneak into bed with me Owen?"

Owen rolled his eyes, "On second thought. Help me with this tent: Where did you even get these things anyway? They're absolute rubbish."

"Standard UNIT issue tents. I thought they were much cooler than the flimsy plastic ones used for recreational camping."

"They're much better Jack." Gwen smiled brightly at him, "Very festive."

"Yeah, Jack," Tosh hastened to agree. "Plus they'll keep us a lot warmer in this Welsh weather than other tents would have."

Tosh nudged Ianto who then contributed: "They, um… camouflage better?"

Owen snorted, "Because camouflage is definitely our main concern."

"How about we play a game," Gwen suggested quickly in attempts to change the subject. "To lighten up the mood: who was your last snog?"

"Christ, how old are you Gwen?"

"I'll go first," she continued, gesturing for everyone to take a seat on the logs around the empty fire pit. "Mine was Rhys. What about you Tosh?"

She smiled shyly and replied quietly: "Owen."

He snorted, "In your dreams Tosh."

"It was Christmas: we were waiting on the curb for Jack to bring his car around. I had mistletoe."

He looked at her doubtfully, "You haven't had a snog since Christmas?"

She shrugged, "Well, who was yours then?"

A look of mischievous comprehension dawned on his face and he smiled scornfully as he pointed across the way to: "Gwen."

Everyone blanched at the same time and Tosh was the first one to speak, "When was this?"

"Just drop it Tosh," Gwen ordered.

After an awkward pause Ianto spoke up in order to spare Tosh, "Mine was Siobhan."

Jack sent Ianto an unfathomable look which was promptly ignored. Gwen smiled tightly and turned to Jack, "How about you then?"

He thought about it for a moment and then lunged across the empty fire pit and caught Ianto up in a passionate kiss. A few minutes later, he released a thoroughly disheveled Ianto. Jack's lips were swollen and red as he turned to Gwen with a self-satisfied smile, "Ianto."

Ianto coughed and adjusted his collar, rubbing his hand against his own swollen lips as if the gesture would eliminate the redness. The two girls were staring at the two boys with barely concealed lust while Owen rolled his eyes, "Thanks for that little display. I'm going to go get some firewood before you two start shagging on the grass."

"I'll go with him," Gwen said hurriedly before chasing after the Londoner.

Tosh's face immediately fell, "Didn't we bring firewood?"

Ianto nodded looked away to save her from embarrassment, but when his gaze fell on Jack who was pointedly sending him a smug look. Ianto decided it was time to return to unpacking the SUV. He surreptitiously moved the wood he brought into the backseat of the van for disposal at a later time when Tosh wasn't around.

Jack came up behind him and said, "Why don't you and Tosh go and get some water. I'll go after Gwen and Owen?"

"Good idea," Ianto replied. "I'm sure Tosh will feel better knowing they're not alone."

Jack disappeared off into the woods with a swish of his coat and Ianto gathered his campsite map from the glove compartment. The sky was darkening as they headed towards the spigot marked out in black writing a few campsites over. Loud voices echoed towards them as they emerged from a clump of trees to find what appeared to be an entire cricket team.

"Look boys, fresh meat." One of them called to the others, leering at Tosh.

Ianto frowned at them and put his hand on the small of Tosh's back with the intention of leading her around the rowdy group, "Ignore them Tosh."

"Oh, she's got herself a little protector." A particularly burly man sneered.

They were obviously drunk as one of them grabbed Tosh and pulled her into his chest, "What do you need protecting from baby? I promise you that you'll enjoy it."

"Stop it," Tosh ordered, her voice shaking.

He licked his lips and ran his hand down the side of her breast, "But you're so tender."

"Leave her alone," Ianto said, shoving the bigger man away from Tosh.

The other men all gathered round Ianto in a tight circle. The one who he had shoved bared his teeth angrily and punched Ianto directly in the face, blood poured profusely down his face. The other boys joined in the beating until Ianto was on the ground being kicked repeatedly in the stomach. They backed off for a minute and allowed him to clamber to his feet.

The one who had grabbed Tosh seemed to be the leader and he walked forward menacingly, "You want to shove me again boy?"

Ianto sent Tosh a look telling her to run and he head butted the other man, knocking him to the floor. As the circle closed in on him he saw Tosh make her escape and then everything went dark. Tosh ran through the woods and as she neared their camp she began yelling, "Jack! Help, Jack!"

She burst into their clearing to find the camp empty, but crunching in the woods alerted her to the arrival of the others. She gasped when she saw that Gwen was being supported by the two boys, "What happened?"

"Gwen twisted her ankle," Owen replied. "She's in pretty bad shape."

"Where's Ianto?" Jack asked.

"We were attacked," Tosh replied frantically. "You have to go after him."

Jack was already running towards the other side of the camp, "Owen with me. Tosh come and direct us, but then I want you back here with Gwen."

* * *

Ianto's eyes cleared and he found himself tied to a wooden post. His left eye had already swollen up so that his vision was obscured and he thought he saw the swish of an old military coat before fighting broke out again. Jack's voice rang out above the clamor, "What the fuck did you do to him?"

Ianto was clipped in the side of the head by an errant kick and a loud ringing sound blocked out the rest of the fight. His vision swam, blackened, and the next thing he was aware of was Jack's fingers brushing through his hair as he murmured, "Ianto, you're okay. You're safe."

Owen quickly checked out Ianto's injuries: gingerly prodding a dark purple bruise that covered his swollen ribs. Jack then insisted on carrying Ianto bridal style back to the camp. The two girls gasped when they saw the bruised group of boys return. Owen was grumbling as he followed at Jack's heels, "I knew coming to the bloody countryside was a terrible idea. We have to get him and Gwen to a hospital."

The Welshman in his arms began protesting his hold as soon as he came round to what was happening, "Jack, put me down. I can walk just fine."

Jack promptly ignored him, "Owen would Ianto be better off in the backseat or in the front?"

"What are you asking me for?" Owen groused.

Tosh sneered at him, obviously still bitter from the earlier incident, and replied, "Because you're the medical student."

"Oh, right." Owen had the decency to look chastised. "I think he's got a few broken ribs so we should try and see if he'll fit comfortably laying across the back. Gwen needs to keep her ankle elevated so she would probably be best off in the front."

Jack nodded decisively, "I'll put him down back there while we pack up. Tosh will you get the door? The keys are in my coat pocket."

She fished the keys out of his pocket and opened the door to find the pile of wood Ianto had dropped onto those seats, "I knew we brought firewood!"

Jack pushed her aside gently once she gathered up the wood so that he could lower the Welshman down, "Now's not the time Tosh."

Ianto was still protesting, "I'm not an invalid Jack. It will go much faster if I help."

Jack carefully covered the boy with his greatcoat and shut the door with Ianto inside. It took them less than twenty minutes to pack up the SUV, though the packing consisted mostly of Jack bundling things up and tossing them in the boot of the vehicle with no sense of organization much to Ianto's dismay. Jack tossed the keys to Owen, "You drive."

He then climbed in gingerly next to Ianto, sitting sideways with one leg stretched down the seat and the other braced on the floor, and cradled the younger boy against his chest. Tosh slid in and propped Ianto's feet up on her lap so that she would fit, and Gwen leaned her seat back a bit so that she could lift her ankle up onto the dash. Owen checked the backseat and sent an attempted grin at Tosh, "Good thing you're so tiny or there's no way this would work."

She sighed, "Just drive Owen,"

Jack looked around the SUV to make sure that nobody was looking before pressing a swift kiss to Ianto's forehead, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," He mumbled tiredly. "How's Tosh."

"She's fine," Jack told him. "You helped her get away, remember?"

Ianto clutched the collar of the greatcoat to his nose and sniffed pathetically. Jack continued to stroke his hair and magnanimously decided to ignore the snot that Ianto was smearing across this inside lining of his coat. Owen's frantic speeding got them to the hospital in less than thirty minutes. Owen went with Gwen to a separate room to get her ankle bandage, but Ianto, after having gone through a few scans, was rushed to an operating theater. A nurse emerged from the room after ten minutes and Jack immediately accosted her, "What's happening? They haven't told us anything."

She smiled condescendingly at him, "I'm sorry, I can only release that information to family members."

Jack's eyes flashed angrily, "I am his fucking family."

Tosh placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said soothingly, "Jack, why don't you call your father and see if he can find anything out."

He flinched away from her touch, but took a breath and replied, "That's a good idea. And someone should call Ianto's sister."

"Give me the number and I'll take care of that."

Jack nodded and after giving her the number he dialed his father, "Doc?"

"Jack!" John Smith exclaimed excitedly. "How are you m'boy?"

"I'm at the hospital," Jack told him, his voice breaking slightly. "Ianto's been hurt and the doctors won't tell us what's going on."

John's voice hardened as he replied, "I'll take care of it. Sit tight."

Exactly six minutes and twenty-four seconds later the nurse returned with an apologetic smile on her face, "I've just been given clearance to tell you what's happening. Your friend has suffered from severe internal bruising and moderate bleeding. He has one broken rib and two cracked ones, but he should be fine. He's in surgery right now, but we'll be moving him into recovery shortly."

"When can I see him?"

"Once we've got him settled in the other room you're welcome to visit, but he probably won't wake up for awhile."

Jack felt his nose sting as he attempted not to cry, "I want to sit with him."

"I'm going to call Rhiannon back and let her know about the update and then I'm going to go tell Owen and Gwen, are you going to be okay by yourself?" Tosh asked.

"Yeah, you go." Jack resolutely didn't look at her so she wouldn't see the redness of his eyes.

When Tosh returned, the other two were in tow (Gwen in a wheelchair), and they were directed to room thirteen where Jack was sitting with a still unconscious Ianto. He was clutching the Welshman's hand tightly and staring at him unblinkingly: he didn't look over as the others entered the room. Gwen wheeled over to Jack immediately, "The Doctor's said that he's going to be fine. Why don't we go get you some food? You're going to make yourself sick worrying like this."

"I want to be here when he wakes up," Jack told her. His face softened as he watched Ianto twitch slightly in his sleep and he muttered quietly, "He's my best friend."

Gwen cooed sympathetically, "Tosh why don't you and Owen go get us all some coffee."

Tosh's eyes brightened at the thought of being alone with Owen and she immediately agreed despite her misgivings about leaving Gwen with Jack. She needn't have worried though because Jack promptly ignored everything Gwen said so she simply sat and patted his back comfortingly.

It wasn't until Tosh had returned that Ianto snuffled awake and mumbled, "Is that coffee?"

Jack lunged closer to Ianto's face so that he was inches away, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was beaten up with a cricket bat," he replied dryly.

Jack chuckled fondly, "Prat."

Tosh darted around the other side of the bed to press a soft kiss to Ianto's bruised cheek, "Thanks. I don't even want to think what would have happened if you didn't get me out."

Ianto laughed and then winced as the action jostled his ribs. He settled for a weak smile as he replied, "I'm just glad it worked. It wasn't much of a plan."

"Good thing you've got such a thick head," Owen told him gruffly, but not unkindly. "You did good tea-boy."

Jack squeezed Ianto's hand tightly and glanced over at Gwen in her wheelchair, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I suggested a camping trip."

"I hope not," Ianto intoned. "When can we go home?"

"Sorry, but they want to keep you overnight for observation," Owen told him.

Ianto groaned, "You should all go home and get some sleep. Just don't forget to come and get me in the morning."

Jack shook his head and flashed every single one of his pearly white teeth, "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

Visiting hours ended a short time later and so the others all took the SUV back to the hub while Jack waited patiently on the hard plastic waiting room chairs for a chance to sneak back in. Around half past eleven the last nurse exited Ianto's room and switched off the light. Jack immediately took the opportunity to sneak back inside. He carefully avoided Ianto's IV line as he slid into the tiny bed and wrapped himself around the younger boy. Burying his nose in slightly dirty hair he whispered, "Ianto – are you awake?"

"No," the Ianto mumbled back sleepily. "Wha' are you doin 'ere?"

"Like I was going to sleep on a chair," Jack scoffed.

"Jus' a'mit tha' you were worried 'bout me," The battered boy murmured.

"Go back to bed," Jack chastised fondly.

* * *

**A/N**: So I always get convinced halfway through writing something that it's absolute rubbish and then I don't want to finish. That's already started to happen with this one, but I'm trying really hard to stick with it... and I hate Siobhan now so I'm trying to faze her out, but she keeps popping up again.


	7. Warm Gun

The two boys were found by a doctor the next morning, sound asleep and curled up together beneath the heavy woolen blanket. He coughed politely to wake them and said, "I just need to check Mr. Jones' vitals and then he's free to go."

In surprise, an embarrassed Ianto pushed Jack out of bed and was rewarded with loud swearing as Jack's ass hit the hard tile, "What the fuck was that for?"

Ianto had turned a deep shade of magenta and he quickly suggested, "Why don't you go fill out the release forms and call Owen to come pick us up?"

Jack sent one last glare at Ianto and left the room to do so. Jack, still slightly irritated after his abrupt awakening, forced Owen out of the driver's seat and left Ianto to his own devices when it came to getting into the SUV. He asked Owen, "How is Gwen doing."

Owen released a cracked noise from his throat and quickly said, "Why would I know how Gwen is doing? I haven't seen her since last night."

A sharp gasp sounded from the back seat, "You slept with Gwen last night?"

Two pink splotches appeared on each of Owen's cheeks, "What? I didn't say that."

"Are you blushing Owen?" Ianto asked dryly.

He sneered, "Of course not."

"I thought she had a boyfriend," Jack inserted coldly.

Regaining his cocky persona Owen replied, "I guess she's not as much of a prude as we thought. Why? Were you letting some sheep-shagging boyfriend stand in your way?"

Jack said nothing which told Ianto everything. The rest of the car ride continued in an awkward silence and Ianto quickly fell asleep from the gentle rocking of the vehicle. Arriving back at their flat the two boys in the front looked back at the sleeping Welshman. Owen looked over to Jack, "Should we wake him up?"

Jack shrugged, "The doctor said that he would need a lot of sleep."

"I guess we can just leave him there then," Owen suggested.

Thus, Ianto was left: head tilted at an awkward angle and a safety belt digging into his back. He awoke an hour later stiff and in an immense amount of pain. He attempted to rise, but found that his ribs had stiffed from the awkward position. He pulled out his mobile and briefly considered calling Jack, but thinking about his earlier response to Gwen and Owen's shenanigans, Ianto decided against it. After about twenty minutes he managed to wiggle into the front of the car in search of the pain medication that he hoped hadn't been taken inside.

At the same time, Tosh returned from the library and was walking up the drive whence she spotted a firm buttocks pressed against the passenger window of the SUV. She pulled it open and asked incredulously, "Ianto, what are you doing?"

Ianto whimpered as the support of the window left and the strain was placed back on his bruised muscles, "Looking for my pills."

She eased him into a sitting position, "Why didn't you have one of the others get them for you? I'm sure Jack wouldn't have minded."

Ianto snorted, "Now that I'm out of immediate danger, Jack's concern for me has severely lessened. Don't take how he acted yesterday as true representation of his feelings. He just has a bit of a hero-complex. Anyway, the drugs aren't even here. They must be inside."

"And you didn't think to check there first?" Tosh asked. Then realization dawned on her face and she frowned, "Ianto: did they leave you in the car?"

"I was asleep," Ianto replied with a self-deprecating smile.

Fury flashed over her features and for the first time Ianto could see the girl who hacked MI5 without breaking a sweat. A twinge in his ribs cause Ianto to wince and her face immediately softened, "Here, let's get you into bed and then I'll deal with the boys."

She did her best to support him with her tiny frame and they hobbled awkwardly up the steps to their front door. Jack and Gwen turned to face the door from their positions on the couch when they entered, but Ianto staunchly ignored them. Gwen smiled softly at him, her anime-eyes shining, "Oh, pet, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he replied.

Once Tosh got him settled into bed she fetched the pills and a tall glass of water. "Do you want me to get any DVDs from the living room?"

Ianto was about to decline when he heard the faint sound of moaning echoed through his adjoining wall with Owen. Already intimately familiar with the noises Jack made while shagging he could only assume that these new sounds belonged to Gwen. By the look on her face, Tosh came to this realization at about the same time so Ianto quickly said, "Why don't you get us some food and pick out a film and you can join me."

She smiled gratefully at him, "Any preferences?"

"You choose," he told her.

Once Tosh left, Jack entered through their adjoining door. He flashed his patented grin at Ianto, "In bed already Ianto? You're always one step ahead of me aren't you?"

Ianto blinked at him doubtfully, "I'm not supposed to do any physical activity."

"I'm sure we can work around it," Jack told him, smoothly pulling off his shirt and stalking towards the bed with an animalistic purr. "You can just lie back and let me take care of you."

Rolling away from Jack's attempted kiss, Ianto told him dryly, "Why don't you just go join Owen and Gwen if you want sex. Tosh and I are going to watch a movie."

Jack frowned, but then recovered by flashing another smile. "I can do that. What movie are we watching?"

It was Ianto's turn to frown as he replied carefully, "It was kind of going to be a just me and Tosh thing. We hardly ever spend time just the two of us anymore."

Jack eyes narrowed, "Fine, I'm going out then."

Ianto watched with a flash impassivity as Jack stood framed in the lavatory fixing his hair. After a few moments his attempted nonchalance faded and he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. Maybe a pub or I got invited to a party by this cute girl I met at the coffee shop the other day," Jack shrugged: his muscles flexing as he slid gel through his locks.

"Oh," Ianto replied softly. Jack disappeared through the other door to slide on a new shirt and when he returned Ianto noted: "That's your pulling shirt."

"So?" Jack asked.

Ianto sunk lower under the blankets, "So nothing. I just didn't realize you were still doing that."

Jack shot him a slightly condescending look, "We're not monogamous Ianto."

"I know," He replied sullenly. "There are other concerns to you sleeping around that don't involve monogamy. We didn't use protection last time and I assumed you wouldn't have put me in any danger. Should I assume you had your blood checked out for any potential… diseases before hand or did you not even consider my safety?"

Jack's face softened as he looked considerably chastised, "You're my best friend: you know I wouldn't endanger you. I haven't been with anyone since we've started sleeping together. This would have been the first."

At that moment Tosh came back, her arms full of goodies and a few films, she looked over at Jack and asked, "Are you going somewhere?"

He shook his head, "I was going to call Tom for drinks, but Ianto just reminded me that he went to London with Martha to visit her family."

Ianto sighed, "Why don't you join us for a film."

He looked up hopefully, "Really?"

"I don't know," Tosh told him as she popped a video into the player. "I'm still cross with you for leaving Ianto in the car like that. He was in so much pain he couldn't make it back to the house without my help. I don't even want to know how long he was there before I came along."

"What?" Jack turned to Ianto who was pointedly looking in the other direction. "You had your phone. Why didn't you call me?"

Ianto looked pointedly down at his hands, "I was just being stupid, okay? Can we just watch the movie now?"

"Only if you call it a film," Jack teased. He turned to Tosh with a shit-eating grin, "It sounds hot when he says it with that accent."

"Jack has a bit of a fetish," Ianto explained dryly, "In case you haven't noticed."

"One that he's usually perfectly happy to indulge in," Jack added, stripping down to his boxers and undershirt before sliding under the blankets. His arm met bare skin and he lifted the comforter in interest, "Are you naked under here?"

Ianto slapped away Jack's wandering hand, "Of course not. I'm wearing sweatpants."

"Shame," Jack sighed. "Though, I suppose it's for the best: Tosh wouldn't have been able to keep her hands off of you if it was otherwise."

He let out a derisive snort, "Yes. I'm sure it's Tosh that we would have to worry about. Now, get cozy, I'm starting the film."

"Tease," Jack told him with a smile.

The credits were rolling when the doorbell rang. Tosh started to get out of the bed, but Ianto grabbed her arm, "Let Owen get it."

She smiled wickedly and wiggled back into a comfortable position. After two minutes of continued blaring from the siren doorbell, they heard a loud male curse and twenty seconds later Ianto's bedroom door flew open to reveal Siobhan, weighed down by various packages. She smiled distractedly at them all, "Owen told Mickey who told me what happened. So, I brought alphabet noodle soup, a heating pad, and a few movies since you've probably seen the ones you own a billion times."

Ianto elbowed him in the stomach, "Thanks for doing all of this Siobhan."

"You're welcome," She smiled. A mischievous look crossed her face and she added, "Though, if you got yourself a nice girlfriend then she could do all of these things for you."

"That's what I'm always telling him," Tosh agreed. "He always does everything for us: he needs to find someone who will help him for once."

A permanent glower etched itself onto Jack's face and, spotting this, Ianto told them firmly, "I don't need that. I'm happy the way things are."

"They're right," Jack told him quietly. "I'm going to bed."

Once Jack had disappeared through the adjoining lavatory, Ianto glared at Siobhan. She winced and said, "I was only trying to help. You deserve so much more that what he's giving you."

"Nobody ever said that I want more."

She sighed, "Friends with benefits never work. There are too many emotions in the relationship already for feelings not to get hurt."

Tosh let out a little noise of surprise, "Friends with benefits?"

Ianto rubbed his forehead in distress, "Sorry, Tosh, I forgot you were there."

"You and Jack are sleeping together?" She asked, ignoring his brush-off.

Siobhan answered for her, "Yes. And they're obviously perfect for each other, but somebody needs to let Jack know that."

"Enough matchmaking," Ianto insisted. "Get me a glass of water and then go gossip somewhere else. I'm going to sleep."

His plans of sleep were interrupted fifteen minutes later by his stomach, which apparently decided to reject the medicine. He flopped his way over to the toilet and retched into the porcelain. He was resting his head against the bowl between hacking coughs when he felt a warm hand press against his back. Jack rubbed soothing circles across his cold bare skin and chuckled, "I think I prefer this when you've been drinking. I don't have to worry about you being hurt and you lose all sense of dignity. Last time you curled up into my lap like a kitten while you puked. It was sweet."

Ianto wiped his lips with a piece of toilet roll, "Only you would find being closer to the scent of warm regurgitated alcohol sweat."

"I'm a romantic at heart," He teased back.

Ducking his head back into the bowl, a few minutes passed before Ianto replied, "You dress like you're the lead character of a 1940's Mills and Boon romance novel. I believe that makes you far more romantic than I am."

Jack laughed loudly, "If you can manage to make snarky comments then I'm assuming the worst has passed. Let's get you back to bed."

Ianto remained pliant as Jack scooped him up and re-deposited him in his bed. It was until Jack was almost out the door that he called, "Jack."

The other boy turned immediately back to him, "What's wrong? Do you want me to get you some more water?"

He shook his head and patted the spot next to him, "Stay."

His smile lit up the room, "Do I get to be the big spoon?"

Ianto rolled his eyes, but rolled over on his side so Jack could curl around him, "You're going to get spoiled from getting to be the big spoon twice in a row."

Jack kissed his favorite spot on the back of Ianto's neck and asked, "Should you take some pain medication before you go to sleep?"

"It would wear off by the time I woke up," Ianto told him. "I tried to take some so I could fall asleep without pain, but you just saw the result of that."

Curling his fingers around one of the edges of the bandage across Ianto's stomach, Jack confessed, "I should have gone with you and Tosh to get the water."

Ianto shifted, "You couldn't have guessed what was going to happen. You made Tosh feel a bit better knowing that Gwen and Owen weren't off shagging in the woods."

"I think they were snogging when I showed up. You know, I planned this whole trip so we could spend some time together… I can't believe it ended with Owen getting more action than us."

"Why did you think that a group trip would result in us getting to spend time together?" He asked incredulously.

"It wasn't supposed to be a group trip," Jack admitted. "Owen overheard me asking Doc if he could get me some UNIT camping gear to borrow."

"So it was supposed to be…" Ianto trailed off. He blinked three times in the darkness and said instead, "Goodnight Jack."

"Goodnight Ianto," Jack replied and Ianto thought he could hear a note of disappointment in the older boy's voice, but he resolutely pushed it away.

The next morning Jack awoke to Tosh's giggling, "It's a good thing I offered to check on you. Gwen almost came to check."

"What time is it?" Jack asked quietly, attempting not to wake the sleeping Welshman.

"Half past one," Tosh replied. "I've never seen Ianto sleep so late."

Jack pressed a kiss to Ianto's collarbone as he untangled himself and questioned, "Do you think his stomach is up for beans on toast?"

Without waiting for a reply, Jack padded out of the room in just a tiny pair of boxer briefs and into the kitchen. Gwen and Martha were eating at the table in the kitchen and both of their jaws dropped when he entered. He smiled unselfconsciously at the pair and set about making breakfast for Ianto while the others were eating lunch.

"If I had known that you had such a great view, I would come over more often," Martha joked: her eyes still on Jack.

Jack tossed her a wink over his bare shoulder, "Don't let Tom catch you saying those things."

"I'm just looking," She laughed. "Now if only…"

At that moment, Ianto ambled out dressed in a slightly more conservative pair of boxers and after sharing a quick kiss with Jack (and resting his hand briefly on the small of Jack's back). He turned and, noticing the girls sitting nearby, he flushed and sank into a seat next to them, "Morning."

"You read my mind Ianto Jones." Martha grinned.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he smiled back, "Always a pleasure to help a fellow Jones… What exactly did I do?"

"Helped fulfill the secret desires of a taken woman," She replied with a wink.

He blinked at her and then shrugged, "I guess I'm alright with that then. What are we eating?"

"Beans on toast," Jack called.

Ianto groaned, "I should have known. It's the only thing you can make."

Jack waved a spatula, spattering beans across the floor, "You'll appreciate what you're given or you'll get nothing."

"Thanks for the beans mum." Ianto told him dryly. Jack sent him a bemused glance, before turning back to the stove.

Gwen smiled at Ianto, "I really hope you're not half as affectionate with your mum as you are with Jack."

Ianto smiled tightly back at her, "My mum's dead so there's no need for youto worry."

Gwen gaped, "I just keep putting my foot in it, don't I?"

Jack brought two plates over and set one in front of Ianto. Taking the seat next to them he rested his hand on the thigh of Ianto, who sent him an appreciative glance and took the hand in his own as he told Gwen, "It was a long time ago. I hardly remember her. And, to prevent yet another awkward situation, you should know that my tad is dead too, but I'm really not upset about that."

"Oh, I'm sorry Ianto," She said. After a moment she asked, "Where do you stay over the holidays?"

"With my older sister Rhiannon," Ianto said.

"And he's got my family," Jack added. "The Doc calls him his well-behaved son. I think he likes him more than me…"

"That's because you broke his TARDIS," Ianto reminded him.

"His what?" Gwen asked.

"It's his car," Martha explained.

Jack nodded, "The name appears to be come sort of inside joke between him and Rose. He's had the car forever and loves it more than me."

"I still can't believe he let you borrow the car this summer," Ianto confessed.

Jack laughed as he remembered, "I told him that I was taking you out on a date, and you know how much he wants you to be a part of the family."

Ianto blanched, "And finding out you lied about taking me on a date probably just made the reaction over the crash worse."

He blinked, "Why would I tell him I lied?"

"So your whole family thinks that were dating?"

Jack chewed a piece of toast thoughtfully and answered through the food, "Probably."

Gwen and Martha both attempted not to laugh at the look on Ianto's face. He sputtered for a moment and then sighed and asked, "Is that why Doc kept opening the door anytime we were in a room alone together?"

"That would be it," Jack agreed.

Ianto rolled his eyes, "I'm going back to bed."

Beans dribbled down Jack's chin as he turned to the two girls, "Was it something I said?"

Martha promptly smacked him upside the head.

* * *

A/N: I'm rather surprised at the response to Siobhan. It seems that some of you actually still like her so I guess that's good. she managed to stick around for another chapter. She's resilient at least. I wanted to post this quickly as a thank you to everyone who replied and encouraged me to keep going with this story.

As a bonus thank you my homepage on my profile leads to my livejournal account and on it I've posted pictures from interior design blogs that resemble what I picture the Torchwood University flat to look like. If anyone actually bothers to go look at it comment on there and let me know if you think it's a good idea, I thought it was fun so if y'all like it then I might post more later of what parts of the Doctor's house looks like when they go there in a few pictures.


	8. Graecum est non legitur

**Chapter 7: Graecum est; non legitur**

* * *

Classes started up again the next morning and they were forced back into their daily routines, Jack had tried in vain to get Ianto to stay in bed that morning (going so far as to offer to stay with him) but Ianto had gotten up at half past seven as per usual. Jack lay in bed watching him dress and Ianto told him wryly, "You're not going to have time to fix your hair if you don't get up soon."

"Maybe I won't get up at all. I'll just lay here, naked, and maybe have a bit of a wank in your bed," Jack wagged his eyebrows at Ianto, stretching languorously so that the sheet fell down to reveal the faintest dusting of hair above his cock.

"Wash the sheets after."

"You're no fun," Jack told him, getting out of bed stark naked and heading for the shower.

Ianto clucked his tongue, "That's not what you said last night."

"I was under duress," Jack teased, giving him a quick kiss.

Ianto wrinkled his nose, "Go clean your teeth."

"You're so picky in the mornings," Jack complained.

The two boys continued their bickering as they made their way to class and were still bickering as they made their way to lunch. Jack broke off mid-innuendo to ask, "Who's that girl Tosh is talking to?"

Ianto looked over to where Jack was gesturing and shrugged, "I don't know."

"They look close," Jack grinned lecherously.

Ianto rolled his eyes, "Tosh is allowed to have friends other than us…"

"I know," Jack pouted for a moment and then brightened considerably as he added, "Maybe Tosh has become a lesbian – that would be cool."

Ianto raised an eyebrow, "Would it?"

He nodded in excitement, "Yeah, plus it would explain why she turned down my offer of a threesome."

"Yes, Jack, I'm sure Tosh turning down a threesome with you was solely based off of her becoming a lesbian."

"Don't sound so cocky," Jack told him absently. "She turned down a threesome with you as well."

After stopping dead in his tracks, Ianto was forced to jog a couple of steps to catch up with Jack, whereupon he spluttered, "You asked Tosh to have a threesome with me and you? What if she had said yes?"

"Then we would have had a fun afternoon," Jack shrugged. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not your sex toy, Jack. You can't just pass me around to your friends."

"Are you cross at me again?" Jack's eyes widened.

"No," Ianto sighed. "You're just so fucking clueless sometimes."

"That'd be me," Jack agreed, stealing a soft kiss.

Ianto adjusted his collar and asked: "Shouldn't we have some sort of no kissing rule? Isn't that the way these things usually work?"

"Are you calling yourself a prostitute?" Jack laughed loudly, causing Ianto to feel stupid, and told him: "Stop trying to fit this into what you think a casual relationship should be. It can be whatever we want and _I _want to kiss you as often as possible."

Ianto considered telling Jack that he needed the boundaries so they would be there to protect his heart, but instead he allowed himself to be kissed and led by hand to lunch. Owen and Gwen arrived at their usual table much later than usual and looking distinctly disheveled. Ianto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did a wind pick up outside? It was calm when we walked over."

Owen coughed, "A sudden gust is all. It's fine now."

Ianto nodded sagely, "These freak winds have been occurring quite often recently. They're quite loud as well. All of the screeching and moaning keeps me up at night."

Jack choked as he inhaled water down the wrong way, and Ianto calmly patted him on the back until he was able to say, "I'm fine."

"Getting a bit rusty at swallowing Jack?" Owen asked with a grin. "I can't remember the last time you pulled when we went out?"

"That's because you scare everyone away," Jack joked, but his eye twitched slightly and Ianto knew the older boy was longing to tell Owen just how much sex he had been having recently.

Ianto squeezed Jack's knee in thanks and spoke up innocently, "It's not like you've gotten any action recently, Owen."

"Actually," Owen began only to be elbowed in the gut by Gwen. "You're right…sorry I'm a twat."

"It seems as if all of us are in a bit of a dry spell," Ianto continued dryly.

Jack quickly spoke up, "Except for Tosh."

"For the last time Jack, Tosh has not suddenly become a…" Ianto cut off abruptly as he spotted what Jack was grinning at over the heads of Owen and Gwen. He blinked slowly and said instead, "Oh."

Tosh and the blond girl from before were sharing a brief kiss in the entrance to the dining hall. The pair then walked over to their group, with the blond dragging a reluctant Tosh. She gave a timid smile and introduced them, "Everyone this is Mary. Mary this is everyone: Owen, Gwen, Ianto, and-"

"Captain Jack Harkness," Jack interrupted with a salacious grin.

Owen snorted doubtfully, "Captain of what? S.S. Innuendo?"

Jack ignored the sarcasm evident in Owen's voice and explained, "I just thought it sounded good. Besides with this coat and my… personality: who is going to doubt me?"

"As much as I loath to admit it," Ianto intoned. "I think he might be right."

"It suits you," Gwen told him with a smile beneath lowered eyelashes. He raised an eyebrow at her and she jerked into a standing position. Looking startled at her own actions, she quickly said, "I have to visit the lavatory before class."

"Okay, bye Gwen." Owen replied.

She nudged him, "Weren't you just saying that you had to use the lavatory as well? We could walk together?"

"Why do girls always need someone to go to the lavatory with them?" Owen complained. He broke off his rant as Gwen sent him a pointed look, "Oh, right. I did need to go so I suppose I might as well walk with you, yeah."

Once they dashed away, Mary told Tosh: "I'm going to go get us lunch. I'll be right back."

"We're much more subtle than they are, right?" Jack asked Ianto, gesturing at Gwen and Owen's retreating backs after Mary had left.

"Blind elephants are more subtle than they are," Ianto reassured him.

Jack, reassured, nodded, and turned to Tosh: "So who's the bird?"

"The other night after we went to the hospital, Gwen and Owen were busy and I didn't want to be alone so I went out to the pub. And this older gentleman was chatting her up so she came to sit with me so he would leave her alone and as it turned out she knew who I was."

Jack's eyebrow raised in concern: "She was stalking you?"

"Of course not," Tosh laughed. "She had seen you and me in the library one day and asked her friend who we were."

He visibly relaxed, "Oh, I guess that makes sense. People tend to know who I am."

Ianto rolled his eyes and Tosh bristled at the comment, "I'll have you know. Mary asked her friend who we were because she thought I was pretty. She didn't care who you were."

Jack adopted an abashed expression just as Mary arrived. She looked around at all of their faces and asked, "Did I miss something?"

"We're leaving," Tosh told her huffily.

"But we just got here," Mary protested as Tosh dragged her away.

Once they had left, Ianto shot Jack a sideways glance, "You really know how to put your foot in it, don't you?"

"A foot isn't the only thing I can get my mouth around," Jack grinned salaciously at him.

"You're incorrigible."

"So I've been told. Would you care to accompany me to the lavatory now?"

"Honestly, Jack." Ianto muttered, rising to his feet.

Jack looked up at him hopefully, "Is that a yes."

"That's' a no on the lavatory, but a yes on sneaking back to our empty flat. I may even be persuaded to make you a cup of coffee… wearing only an apron."

Jack sat dumfounded as he watched the younger Welshman strut away. After a moment he jumped up in excitement and chased after the younger boy.

* * *

Mary took a long drag from a cigarette as she eyed Tosh languorously, "You don't mind if I smoke do you?"

Tosh shook her head slowly as she sunk lower beneath her bedcovers, her boney shoulders shaking despite the warmth: "Its fine."

Mary blew out a puff of smoke into a crown above her head as she reached over and snatched a photo off the bedside table. Her mouth quirked upwards at the image: "Owen. Why am I not surprised? Does he know how you feel for him? It's not like you're hiding it, but I bet he doesn't even bother noticing, does he? Too busy fucking Gwen Cooper."

Tosh turned over on the bed so that her back was turned, "I think there's an ash tray in the kitchen if you want to go find it?"

Slipping out of bed, Mary searched through the closet for a bit before evidentially choosing something as Tosh could hear the swoosh of fabric. Her head turned and she watched warily as Mary sauntered out of the bedroom, loosely draped in the soft silk robe and then as the door shut with a _snick_ she turned back over in shame.

* * *

Jack felt what he personally considered was a ridiculous amount of happiness. He knew he had wanted Ianto since he had seen his friend stark naked, bathed in moonlight, and dripping wet after accomplishing a skinny dipping dare in Cardiff Bay (only the faint smell of sewage had put him off from taking the younger boy in full view of a dozen spectators). However, this current combination of friendship and mind-blowing sex far-surpassed every single one of the fantasies he had wanked himself raw to after the aforementioned incident.

Jack was pondering these things in an absent-minded way as he observed the younger boy resting face down on top of the sheets, reveling in a heady post-orgasmic haze. Jack ran his hand down the concave of Ianto's back causing the Welshman to rumble in the back of his throat. Jack laughed and asked him, "I'm going to get a bottle of water – do you want one?"

Ianto was apparently too contented to reply as he said nothing but made another grumble. Jack slid on a pair of boxer shorts without checking to see if they were his and winced as the cotton brushed against still sensitive skin. He opened the door slowly, and after a furtive glance down the hall he slipped outside. He walked to the kitchen with a slight limp in his usually steady gait and headed straight to the refrigerator. Wrenching open the door, he sighed in pleasure as the cold air washed over his over-heated skin.

"Is that as good for her as it is for you?"

Jack's eyes snapped up at the unfamiliar voice and traced the shapely line of a leg up to prominently displayed cleavage. The fabric that was blocking Jack's view dipped even lower and more details came into focus as Mary sauntered forward to join him in the shaft of cooler air. He stood there dumbstruck as breasts pressed against his bare chest, complete skin on skin contact prevented only by the briefest whisper of silk. He continued to observe the view presented to him as tiny goose bumps began to appear on ample flesh due to the sudden shock of cooler air. In contrast, warm air blew wafted against his lips and his eyes quickly jumped up to soft pink lips as they hovered an inch away from his.

The sound of a throat clearing caused Jack's eyes to pinball over to the doorway where he found Ianto coughing discretely into his fist while Toshiko cowered behind him. He stepped back quickly, "This _really _isn't what it looks like?"

"He came on to me Toshiko," Mary insisted. "He doesn't care about you."

"I think you should go home Mary," Ianto inserted calmly. "Tosh, why don't you go get her stuff from your room."

She nodded and scurried from the room. Jack looked after her for a moment before rounding on Mary in anger, "My guess is you're not from around these parts so let me fill you in: Nobody fucks around with my friends."

"You seemed really concerned about your friends five minutes ago… or were you looking for Tosh in between my breasts?" Mary scoffed.

"No matter how thin Tosh may be, your breasts are rather small for her to be able to fit between," Ianto commented snidely causing Jack to snort. "Perhaps you should consider an augmentation if you insist on pursuing a career in prostitution."

"Prostitution?" Mary stuttered.

Ianto blinked innocently, "Oh, sorry. Do you prefer to call it something differently when you sleep with someone in order to get at their roommate?"

Before Mary could reply, Tosh returned with Mary's belongings and Jack forcibly escorted her out of the house. Tosh sniffled, "So she was only with me to get to Jack?"

"It seems that way," Ianto replied with a sympathetic smile. "Are you going to be okay Tosh? I mean, even before this you haven't seemed yourself. It's not like you to sleep with someone you barely know."

"I don't think I'm taking the Owen and Gwen thing very well," Tosh admitted quietly.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulder Ianto gently lead her to the couch and allowed her to curl up against his left side. They were shortly joined by Jack who sequestered himself on Tosh's other side and Ianto, despite feeling bad for Tosh, couldn't help but smile over her head when Jack interlaced their fingers behind the back of the couch.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the late update and sorry that it's so short. I wanted to give y'all something, but I'm at a bit of a writer's block with this right now. I'm just not really in my Torchwood headspace because of my sudden obsession with Star Trek and Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. If any of y'all are on livejournal and want to talk about Star Trek, Pinto, Torchwood, Doctor Who, Caprica, or any other television show (because I probably watch it) then feel free to come say hello. My user name is whatever_mary and I'm pretty new to the livejournal thing so I could use some friends! And then you could bug me about working on the stories you want (Plus if my RL friend Lauren and I end up posting our super awesome pinto fic then you can read it there!)


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